Fin24 reports that according to labour federation Cosatu, Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan has committed to ensuring that Eskom does not go back to the negotiating table with its same offer of a 0% wage increase.  

Cosatu’s national leaders held a meeting with Gordhan on Wednesday afternoon.  The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), a Cosatu affiliate, and the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) are demanding a 15% wage increase, while Eskom is offering a 0% hike.  The negotiations have been referred to the CCMA.  “Cosatu made it very clear to the Minister that while we support his efforts to turn around and clean up the State-Owned Entities, we will not allow a situation where workers are forced to pay for the sins of others,” Cosatu’s Sizwe Pamla said in a statement late on Wednesday.  He added that the meeting with Gordhan had been of a “political” nature and did not involve the NUM as the affiliate had its own programme of action, but the federation was concerned about the issues and a possible strike at the power utility.  A picket outside Eskom’s head office in Sunninghill would still go ahead on Thursday, despite Cosatu’s meeting, NUM general secretary David Sipunzi indicated.

• Read this report by Tehillah Niselow in full at Fin24

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