Unions to picket at Eskom offices over salary freeze
Labour unions NUM and Numsa band together and agree to a series of steps, but warn that strike action may be a last resort
Unions have agreed to a series of steps, including mass pickets on Thursday, to force Eskom to hike its salary increase offer of 0%, before embarking on a strike at the power utility. Eskom is in financial distress, with a huge debt burden increasing annually. The power utility’s new leadership is working to cut costs, increase revenue and restructure debt. The state-owned enterprise put nothing on the table during two rounds of salary talks, a move that has angered the unions. Eskom is also taking energy regulator Nersa to court to fight the 5% tariff increase granted by the regulator. Eskom had initially applied for a 19% tariff increase. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and Solidarity were expected to meet on Monday to discuss strike action. Eskom is deemed an essential service, making the option of a strike illegal. After talking tough over the weekend, labour unions took a step back and agreed to a series of measures befo...
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