The National Union Of Metalworkers (Num) Eskom Shop Steward Council, which met over the weekend to review the wage talks at electricity utility Eskom, unanimously agreed on demands for a 12% wage increase, as opposed to Eskom’s offer of 9%.
On HIV/Aids the council said that Eskom should employ fulltime peer educators instead of the current process of volunteers and that policy involving labour should address itself to people living with the disease while at work and when they have ceased to work.
The council also demands that the home-work-home transport benefit be kept for all workers and the company should cease its current unilateral action of phasing this benefit out.
“In the union opinion, this benefit is critical for those employees who live in remote areas where there is no public transport,” Num spokesperson Moferefere Lekorotsoana said.
He added that thus far, after four sessions of negotiations, the parties have only resolved on increasing the death cover from R5 000 to R10 000 and on compassionate leave.
Lekoratsaona said Num was concerned that Eskom was deliberately refusing to engage in good faith with labour, as reflected by the company’s communiqué to workers indicating that it was preparing itself for a strike action hence their arranging of a court interdict.
“We have revised our wage demand to demonstrate our willingness to talk and we hope that this will be the attitude with which Eskom attends and engages in the talks taking place on July 2. A negative and intransigent approach by Eskom can only add to an unhealthy atmosphere in wage talks.
Attempts to obtain a response from Eskom were unsuccessful. – I-Net Bridge