Cape Town – The three major trade unions at Eskom have rejected the company’s revised pay rise offer of 5.25% in the third round of wage talks.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), and Solidarity have been in negotiations with Eskom since April.
Eskom had initially offered 3.75% and later increased it to 4.5% before reaching the final offer of 5.25%.
Eskom cannot plead poverty when it wastes over R3 BILLION per annum on private security contracts. Workers @Eskom_SA deserve a meaningful increase! Details in our press statement below ????❤️??#NUMSALeads@IrvinJimSA pic.twitter.com/P2wlW2SkA0
— NUMSA (@Numsa_Media) May 26, 2023
However, the unions are demanding wage increases ranging from 9.5% to 12%.
The unions cited high food inflation, rising costs of fuel and basic goods, and increased interest rates as reasons for rejecting the offer.
Numsa on Friday said it rejected the proposal because it felt Eskom could do better.
“Food inflation is extremely high, and the cost of fuel and basic goods has skyrocketed. And to make matters worse, the South African Reserve Bank has hiked interest rates, which means our members are going to struggle even more to make ends meet,” it said.
South Africa’s central bank recently raised its main interest rate to a 14-year high to combat inflation.
Further negotiations between Eskom and the unions are scheduled for June 13 and 14.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
