The Citizen spoke to Joseph Marole who claims he still earns a ‘poverty wage” despite working for Eskom for 29 years. Numsa warned on Wednesday that SA could face a complete blackout if it’s demands for a double-digit wage increase from Eskom are not met.
“I am struggling to cope with the poverty salary that Eskom has been paying, and my son’s future also hangs in the balance as he is unable to continue with his law studies because I can’t afford to pay his tertiary fees.
“The time has come for the employer to really start paying workers well because the standard of living is also getting expensive by the day,” the father of five children told The Citizen on the sidelines of a picket at Eskom’s Megawatt Park head office yesterday.
Marole said he is taking home between R7000 and R8000, with overtime monies included every month.
“From my salary, I have to make sure that I buy groceries worth R3000, and I still have to buy all my children clothes and other basic things they need for school.
“Eskom must come back to us with a positive response-nothing less than a double digit wage increase and if they fail to address our issues, then South Africa’s power will unfortunately have to be shut down as we will be bringing a five months of Marikana to Eskom,” a livid Marole added.
