Eskom unions mull new offer

The ongoing wage dispute at Eskom may be resolved soon, but it depends on whether the two major unions get mandates from members to sign the latest wage proposal.

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said they were seriously considering the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) proposals, but declined to divulge the details of the offer.

Sources within the trade unions said Eskom had agreed to raise the minimum wage to above R5 000.

This is the result of negotiations after a CCMA intervention in terms of section 150 of the Labour Relations Act (LRA), which allows the commission to invite parties to the table and encourage them to settle.

However, proposals made by the commission under these circumstances are not binding on the parties.

Numsa and NUM are in dispute with Eskom, but Solidarity earlier accepted Eskom’s offer.

NUM and Numsa initially demanded an 8% increase and R500 housing allowance or, alternatively, 7.5% with a housing allowance based on the Consumer Price Index.

But Eskom refused to go beyond R200, saying this could be renegotiated after two years.

This week, the three unions held talks with the Eskom management team under the auspices of the CCMA.

“The purpose of the meeting was to finalise this round of wage talks, with a view to settling the dispute.

“Eskom has a made a proposal which we have sent to our members for them to consider, “Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said.

However, Jim declined to share the details of the offer with the media.

“We want to give our members space to make up their own minds on whether to accept or reject the offer.”