Eskom agrees to reinstate workers' benefits as wage talks go into the night

With its back seemingly against the wall, power utility Eskom agreed to unions' demands on the reinstatement of some conditions of employment in addition to the 7% salary increase offer it tabled.

Eskom had amended the conditions of service unilaterally last year, taking away some of the benefits.

After a rough start to the wage increase talks in Sandton on Friday morning, as parties struggled to find mutual ground, in the afternoon parties began finding each other as Eskom started budging.

After a lunch break, a separate smaller meeting which involved Eskom's senior leadership led by Eskom human resources manager Elsie Pule and the union's senior leaders — including Numsa's Irvin Jim and Num's William Mabapa — was held outside the hall where the wage negotiations were taking place.

TimesLIVE has learnt it was at this meeting that Eskom agreed in principle to reinstate the conditions of employment, which included transport benefits for those called for standby shifts and the double pay for Sunday shifts.

After a deadlock during the 2021 wage negotiations in the central bargaining forum, Eskom had opted to unilaterally implement a 1.5% wage increase on July 1 2021, and made changes in the conditions of service, taking away some benefits workers enjoyed.

“What's remaining now is how that is going to be done, and there's just no agreement yet in terms of how the reinstatement of benefits is to be implemented,” an insider told TimesLIVE.

Unions have also demanded a one-off lump sum payment to employees and that the 7% offered should be on an across-the-board basis. Eskom wanted it to be implemented in a staggered manner where the low earners received the full 7% while those earning higher salaries would take less.

As the meeting went into the evening, parties were trying to find mutual ground with regards to how and when the conditions of employment would be reinstated as unions and Eskom had different views.

The resumed talks come as Eskom is desperately trying to end the protracted wage increase negotiations and workers' strike at various power stations nationwide amid crippling load-shedding implemented this week.

It is expected that if the parties find each other, the unions would then take the offer back to their members for a decision.

TimesLIVE