BusinessLive reports that according to trade unions at Eskom, the industrial action which workers participated in two weeks ago cost the power utility R50bn rand in damages, whereas their wage proposal in comparison would cost only R1.2bn.  

Eskom declined to comment, saying wage negotiations were confidential.  The company upped its 4.7% wage offer with a further 0.3% on Wednesday, but the 5% offer was rejected by the unions, which have demanded 9% increases in 2018 as part of a three-year wage proposal.  The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and Solidarity said in a joint statement on Wednesday that they could not take the offer back to their members.  Eskom claimed it would have to cut operating costs to accommodate salary adjustments.  It initially proposed no wage hikes, which enraged some workers whose protests affected power supply.  The wage negotiations were expected to resume on Thursday.

• Read this report by Theto Mahlakoana in full at BusinessLive
• Read too, Unions accuse Eskom of wasting time in wage talks, at EWN
• Read the joint statement by the trade unions in the Eskom talks at Numsa News

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page