Eskom unions taken aback

Johannesburg - On Thursday the unions were surprised at Eskom's announcement that the effective wage offer would push up the wages of the lowest paid workers by 18%, and those of the highest by 9.7%.

It was the first time that they had heard this, said Solidarity deputy general secretary Dirk Hermann in reaction.

According to Hermann, during the discussions Eskom had never referred to the full implications of the effective increase.

At a press conference in Johannesburg the power utility said that the effective 18% figure consisted of a wage increase of 8.5% and various fringe benefits.

At the start of the negotiation process the unions had demanded an 18% increase.

Hermann said that Eskom’s neglect to disclose the figure during discussions was indicative of the poor communication between the parastatal and the unions, which was in turn caused by a total breach of faith in the relationship.

Solidarity is so aggrieved by this breach of faith that as part of its demand it insists on an external audit of the personnel-employer relationship.

According to Numsa spokesperson Castro Ngobese, Eskom should have in all fairness given the unions this information during the discussions.

Numsa is still firmly bent on a strike next week, said Ngobese.

According to Bhabhalazi Bulunga, head of human resources at Eskom, it would have made no difference if the company had indeed communicated the 18% figure during the discussions.

The utility’s current offer includes an 8.5% increase and a R1 000 “top-up” rental subsidy for all its workers. This means that workers who already receive a bigger rental subsidy will receive no increase in their subsidies.

- Sake24.com

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