Negotiations Come as SA Faces Possibility of Higher Stages of Power Cuts

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) has rejected Eskom’s revised salary hike of 4.5%, up from its original offer of 3.75%.

During ongoing negotiations, the union said Eskom has the money to properly compensate its workers, arguing that the recent 18.5% tariff hike granted by the National Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) could be one of the avenues through which the utility can do so.

NUMSA has revised its wage increase demand from 15% to 12%. While the escalation of load shedding over the last year cannot be pinned on the strike action, data shows that the month it took place was a significant turning point for the intensity of the outages.