JOHANNESBURG - Parliament's portfolio committee on mineral resources and energy has signalled its opposition to any plans to retrench workers at the state-owned South African Nuclear Energy Corporation in response to cash shortfalls.
In a statement the committee said NECSA, which is mandated to undertake and promote research and development in nuclear energy and radiation sciences and technology, reported a cash shortfall of R463 million in the 2018/19 financial year and projected a further R325 million shortfall for the current financial year during an oversight visit on Wednesday.
"Although a turnaround strategy will be finalised in two months, in the meantime, the committee should be provided with a written plan that will be implemented urgently to prevent imminent job losses," chairman Sahlulele Luzipo said.
"We also invite the organised labour to write to the committee with regard to what they believe to be problem areas within the entity and proposed intervention. We are interested in the root cause of cash losses and, if human factor was involved, consequence management must be applied."
The committee asked NECSA and its subsidiaries to provide information on board structures, mandate and remuneration packages by no later than September 13.It also applauded what it called NECSA’s commitment to working on a consultative turnaround strategy that would address current cash shortfalls and guarantee long term sustainability.