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City Press reports that the lowest-paid Eskom employee, typically a general worker, currently receives R176,820 a year. That equates to R14,735 a month – just a few rands more than the R14,696 which, according to BankservAfrica, was the average take-home pay for the whole economy in May.
The highest salary such an Eskom worker can earn at the same job level is R221,820 a year, or R18,485 a month. The annual figures include a 13th cheque, but other bonuses and overtime are excluded. Economist Dawie Roodt believes the amount is hopelessly too much for this type of work. However, he believes the R650,460 salary, typically earned by an engineer or senior technician, is on the low side for that level of qualification and responsibility. According to Roodt, the increase in the lowest salary level since 2017 is keeping pace with inflation. This is despite the increase of only 1.5% last year. Roodt believes that the biggest advantage Eskom staff have is that they know their employer cannot go bankrupt, “because we [the taxpayers] keep it going”. He says Eskom staff should actually be paid less than other employees, “because they face less risk”. In February, the average worker in the electricity, gas and water sector earned almost twice as much as the national average monthly remuneration in the formal sector. The average monthly salary for workers in that sector was R44,868 in February (at constant prices, not adjusted for inflation), inclusive of bonuses and overtime pay. That figure was largely determined by Eskom salaries, however it also included Eskom management, which is not part of the bargaining unit. According to Stats SA, the average worker in the formal sector earned just over R23,500 a month in February (bonuses and overtime pay included).
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Antoinette Slabbert & Riana De Lange at City Press (subscriber access only)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page