The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is seeking a mandate from its members on Wednesday, following a tense fourth round of wage talks at Eskom. On Friday, the power utility tabled its final offer of a 7% increase.

This comes after months of deliberation at the Central Bargaining Forum, where the NUM originally demanded a 15% hike alongside improved benefits.

The current three-year wage agreement is set to expire in June.

Another union at Eskom, National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), has already rejected the 7% offer.

“We must come back to our members, shop stewards to get a mandate on the 7%, that we are reflecting, and check as to whether are they still saying that they want more, or they are comfortable that we can sign. And reality is that Eskom has tabled a final offer. They are not willing to give us anything because they say they can’t afford anything beyond that. So, we are awaiting a mandate from shop stewards as you can see. But at the centre of everything we do in NUM, job security plays a very important role. We are mindful that we need to preserve jobs, and we need to make sure that the livelihoods of members is well taken care of,” says NUM Deputy President Olehile Kgware.

The #NUM is the majority union at #Eskom with about 15 000 members. The union started the wage negotiations with a demand of a 15% salary hike. The employer #Eskom has set 7% as a final offer #SABCNews pic.twitter.com/e0406WWkHj

— Katlego Legodi (@KatlegoLegodi_) April 15, 2026

Source link