Unions Reject Eskom's 6% Pay Offer, Demand 12% Increase

South Africa's state-owned power utility, Eskom, faced a setback as two of the country's largest trade unions rejected its 6% salary increase offer. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) are demanding a 12% pay rise, having initially sought a 15% increase.

Eskom, which has been struggling financially and has been the cause of significant power cuts, aimed to finalize a multi-year wage agreement after reporting its first annual profit in eight years. The negotiations with the unions began last year, with the latest round of talks occurring last week.

NUM spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu emphasized that workers feel their hard work is not being adequately rewarded. Irvin Jim, General Secretary of NUMSA, stated that the current offer is unacceptable.

Further discussions are scheduled for Thursday, while the union Solidarity declined to comment due to the sensitivity of the negotiations.