SA companies have been called upon to introduce flexitime, but Cape businesses believe it simply won’t work.

Eskom chief executive Brian Dames reported on Monday it was considering offering special rates to companies operating between 22h00 and 04h00.

“Between five o’clock and around 7h30 in the evening every night we use as much electricity as most of our neighbouring countries combined just in those few hours. In some cases it’s in excess of 3 000MW,” Dames said.

“We think as a country we should consider changing our working hours. We may offer companies special fees and rates to use electricity from about 22h00 at night to 04h00 in the morning.”

But the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry said on Tuesday the idea was a non-starter.

“We support any initiative to help try to smooth out the grid, but flexitime is proving to be unfeasible,” said the chamber’s Michael Bagraim.

“It is a good idea. However, we have done a survey at the Cape Chamber. Many businesses are saying it’s impossible – we’ve had some very negative feedback. First of all it’s the Labour Relations Act – you have to get agreement from employees, trade unions, workplace forums, bargaining councils, etcetera. It’s a massive consultative process. Because of the complexity of our labour laws, this is one instance in which the enormous burden of our labour laws backfires. They act as a handbrake for the betterment of institutions such as Eskom.”

Bagraim said any potential savings from cheaper electricity on offer during the night were countered by higher wage and transport costs employers would have to pay.

“There’s one other big problem – to have flexitime is all very well, but you also have to have a number of companies doing it. It’s all very well opening at 4am, when there’s no-one else open to speak to,” Bagraim said.

Meanwhile Dames said there had been a steady decline in electricity usage for the first half of this year, compared with 2011.

“Year on year, we have seen a negative electricity growth of 3%.”

Dames said SA had not had enforced power shutdowns caused by a shortage of electricity since April 2008.

Source: Sapa and Murray Williams (iol)