Power struggle: Unions stand firm during Eskom wage negotiations

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), and Solidarity stood their ground on Friday to discuss the progress of wage negotiations with Eskom.

Eskom wage negotiations

The unions demanded a 15% wage increase, which Eskom rejected, offering 3.75% instead. However, the unions rejected this offer, as they deemed it below the inflation rate.

Numsa stated that it would not accept an increase lower than inflation, which currently stands at 7.1%. It is demanding a 15% increase, citing the economic climate as the reason.

Round 1

Eskom is engaging in wage negotiations with NUM, Numsa and Solidarity, with the first round of talks taking place in Sandton from 19 to 21 April. The negotiations are expected to run over three rounds until the end of May 2023.

During the first round of negotiations, Numsa, NUM and Solidarity also demanded cellphone allowances from the power utility.

In addition to the 15% wage increase, the three unions also asked for an increase in housing allowance to R7 000 and the right for employees to purchase houses anywhere in South Africa.

They are asking for an R1 500 electricity allowance, however, this could not be clarified at the time of publishing. The unions said they “won’t be engaging through the media” during the negotiations.

‘Reckless’ narrative

According to Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, the three unions are “extremely angered by the narrative that says unions are causing load shedding“.

Hlubi-Majola said this line of thinking is “reckless and irresponsible” since all union members “are working extremely hard to keep the lights on”.

Meanwhile, Solidarity accused Eskom of being ill-prepared for the negotiations, claiming that the utility had entered into the process in bad faith.

The negotiations are ongoing, and both sides will need to find a compromise to avoid any potential strikes.

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