Unions to start Eskom wage negotiations on Wednesday
Trade union Solidarity says they are expecting a tough round of wage negotiations with cash-strapped Eskom.
The wage talks are expected to kick off on Wednesday.
Solidarity is demanding an increase linked to inflation plus 3%, while the National Union of Mineworkers is seeking a wage hike of 15%.
The wage talks come amid another crippling bout of planned power cuts, with stages 5 and 6 in place until further notice.
Solidarity's Helgard Cornje says the union believes that employees should get an increase as their cost of living is rising in the same way that it is rising for all South Africans.
“Eskom is also losing a lot of specialised skills and if they don't pay an increase, we believe that they will keep losing specialised skills.
“Solidarity demanded a salary increase equal to a 12-month average of the CPI plus three percent, this is a basic principle that we apply in most negotiations, and we usually connect our demands to a CPI figure.
“We also demanded a five percent increase for housing allowance and an increase equal to the salary increase for allowances that are not connected to the basic salary of employees.”
The first round of wage talks are expected to conclude on Friday.
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