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Johannesburg - Three South African trade unions declared a dispute with utility Eskom on Thursday after failing to agree on a pay rise and benefits.
"Solidarity, together with NUM and Numsa, declared a dispute with Eskom ... This comes after wage negotiations with the company deadlocked," the Solidarity union said in a statement.
Solidarity has demanded a 12% wage increase while the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), which also represent workers at the utility, have demanded a 14% hike.
However, Eskom has offered an 8% increase.
"Solidarity has described Eskom's approach to this year's negotiations as obstinate and unaccommodating," the union said.
In addition to the wage raise, the three unions have demanded a R5 000 housing subsidy for workers.
South Africa's power regulator granted Eskom a 31.3% tariff rise last month to help build new power stations.
Eskom, which provides 95% of the country's power, is battling to meet demand in Africa's biggest economy, and provoked public anger from businesses and labour when it asked for the increased tariff.
- Reuters