Eskom wage negotiations continue to wage on

Wage negotiations between trade unions and the power utility Eskom continue to drag on and will resume on July 27.

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa)‚ National Union of Mineworkers (Num) and Solidarity agreed on Tuesday to present Eskom’s two offers to their members.

Eskom presented two three-year wage agreements. The first is a 7 percent wage increase for 2018-2020 with a CPI (consumer price index) housing allowance. The second option is a 7.5 percent wage increase this year and a 7 percent increase for 2019 and 2020 with no housing allowance.

According to Numsa secretary general Irvin Jim‚ Eskom Group CEO Phakamani Hadebe promised that workers would get a bonus this year.

“Eskom’s challenges should not be used as a justification to deny workers their well-deserved bonus.”

In June‚ the utility introduced load shedding after some workers picketed at some power stations. The unions have since denied their members were responsible for the blackouts.

The trade unions previously Friday consolidated their wage‚ calling on Eskom to hike workers’ wages by a reduced 8% in 2018 and 8.5% for the two successive years.