Johannesburg - There is no strike at Medupi power station in Lephalale, but there is a lockout, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) said on Tuesday.
“Our members have been locked out. It is not a strike. You guys (the media) keep on saying it is a strike,” said Numsa energy sector co-ordinator Stephen Nhlapo.
Construction work at Medupi came to a halt on January 16 after a dispute about the payment of year-end bonuses.
Forty-six workers were arrested on February 15, following violent protests.
Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said protesting workers torched an Eskom vehicle and damaged a police vehicle during the protest.
Eskom temporarily closed the power station when contract workers went on strike.
Construction at the coal-fired power plant, which is set to be commissioned in 2015, was also interrupted when workers downed tools in September. - Sapa