NUM is disappointed with Eskom’s wage negotiating team negative attitude in the current negotiations

13 May 2023

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is currently engaged in wage negotiations with Eskom at a time when South Africa is plunged into perpetual stage 6 load shedding. The NUM as a responsible trade union approached the negotiations with a progressive attitude only to find that the Eskom wage negotiation team was not taking the collective bargaining process seriously. The negotiation team has no mandate to properly negotiate with the trade unions.

The NUM has moved from 15% to 12% as mandated by the Shop Stewards Council. We did this to demonstrate that we are willing to bargain, but we were disappointed by the Eskom negotiating team that did not have a mandate to move from their initial offer of 3.75% which is far less than the 7.1% current CPI figure. The attitude of the Eskom negotiating team is an insult to the toiling Eskom workers who work 24/7 in the cold winter to try and prevent higher stages of load-shedding. Eskom is willing to pay billions of rands to the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and the diesel sellers while failing to increase the wages for the workers.

The NUM has requested Eskom to make available the amount of money they are paying contractors and consultants and Eskom refused to provide that information. The NUM characterises the behaviour of Eskom as negotiating in bad faith.

We are now left with the third round of negotiations where Eskom is expected to present the revised offer on the 22nd to the 24th of May 2023.

Issued by Olehile Kgware, NUM Eskom Chief Negotiator, 13 May 2023