The National Union of Mineworkers, which concluded its national collective bargaining conference at the weekend, has resolved to demand salary increases of between 15% and 20%.
The union, which will soon be commencing with wage increase negotiations in both the gold and the energy sectors, aims to to close the wage gap.
Speaking in Johannesburg, NUM acting general secretary William Mabapa said they will be negotiating for a 15% salary increase at Eskom with the idea of signing a three-year deal until 2024.
“If we get 15%, we will sign a three-year deal but if we don't get 15%, we will consider a one-year deal so that we can be able to strike every year," Mabapa said.
The conference resolved that the union will demand salary increases of between 15% and 20% in all the sectors it operates in, which include construction and metals.
Mabapa said conference delegates resolved that if Eskom can afford to procure energy from independent power producers (IPPs) at a higher cost than it sells energy for, it should be able to afford their salary increase demands.
“The people being put at risk at Eskom are our members as the majority union ... we are the ones being told at wage increase negotiations that there's no money," Mabapa said.
He said of great concern to the union is the gap between the salary of CEO Andre de Ruyter and that of the lowest earning Eskom, employee which is something they want to address in the upcoming wage negotiations.
Mabapa said another conference resolution was the demand that medical aid contributions consist of a 60% contribution from the employer while workers would contribute 40%.
The union also wants six months of maternity leave with full pay and for paternity leave to be extended to 10 days.
A long-term goal is a R15,000 minimum wage in the gold and the energy sectors by 2024.
