NUM and NUMSA joint statement on the developments in the Eskom wage negotiations

28 June 2022

The leadership of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) represented by the NUM General Secretary, William Mabapa and the leadership of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), represented by the NUMSA General Secretary, Irvin Jim met with the Eskom leadership represented by the Group Chief Executive Officer, Andre de Ruyter and Group Executive Human Resources, Elsie Pule yesterday 27 June 2022 and again today 28 June 2022 to discuss the current deadlock in the Eskom wage negotiations between the parties.

NUM and NUMSA can inform the public and our members at Eskom that the bilateral meeting this morning has registered considerable progress in that negotiations have been able to break new ground with a new offer which will be tabled at the Central Bargaining Forum (CBF) this coming Friday, 1 July 2022. Given the fact that Eskom has finally agreed to return to the negotiating table and there is a new offer which will be formally presented on Friday in the CBF, NUM and NUMSA leadership are calling on our members at Eskom to give the process of negotiations a chance. This includes a consultation processes with workers themselves on the new offer that is a product of negotiations between the two unions and Eskom over the past two days to unlock the current deadlock. 

In light of these developments, we call on workers at Eskom to normalise the situation given that Eskom has returned to the negotiating table. We are calling on our members to give this process and the CBF meeting on Friday the necessary chance to settle the current dispute.

Issued by Livhuwani Mammburu, National Spokesperson, NUM, 28 June 2022