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Eskom's problems worsened on Thursday after unions refused their final offer and promised an illegal strike on Tuesday.
The unions have warned that if negotiations scheduled for Friday do not succeed, SA could be plunged into darkness. . Members of the National Union of Miners (NUM), Eskom's majority union, decided Thursday at a Johannesburg trade council that if Eskom does not meet their counter-demand of 12%, they will report on the tools. According to sources, on business day, they decided to go on strike, believing that Eskom was uncompromising in wage negotiations.
NUM, Solidarity and SA's National Metalworkers' Union (Numsa) are expected to meet Eskom on Friday to file their counter-proposals at Eskom's final "take-or-leave" wage offer made last Wednesday . The electricity company has offered wage increases of 6.2% for 2018 and 6% for 2019-2020. This followed its initial wage offer of 0%, which led workers to engage in industrial action. They stayed away from work and would have sabotaged Eskom 's equipment, causing power outages across the country.
NUM members who spoke at Business Day said that although they resolved 12%, they would settle for 9%. In the last round of negotiations, the unions consolidated their demands, proposing wage increases of 9% in 2018. However, as the talks continue, unionized workers will report on the different positions required by their members.
rejected the offer, although sources indicated that the union was still ready to give the negotiations a chance. Insiders said the members had taken a firm stance on Eskom's offer, especially since the entity was insisting on its partnership with the producers of Eskom. Electricity independent. The union will agree on Friday.
This week, it was revealed that Eskom, which depends on the government's support to honor its debt of 368 billion rand, is evaluating a "liability management exercise" to implement a recovery plan . includes the increase in rates and the layoff of about 15,000 workers. Eskom subsequently denied the retrenchment plan and would not comment on the wage negotiations
This only occurred a week after the Standard and Poor's rating agency placed the entity on its risk list for SA. S & P downgraded Eskom earlier in 2018 into junk status at CCC + with a negative outlook.
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