The Times
*Unions to recommend new Eskom offer to workers* *Sapa, The Times, Johannesburg, 4 July 2010*Eskom has placed a new wage offer on the table, which unions have until Friday to sell to their members.
"The agreement is that Eskom offers a nine percent wage increase and a R1500 minimum housing allowance for all employees in the bargaining unit," said Solidarity deputy secretary general Dirk Hermann.
"Our members must seriously consider the offer and not engage in any unprotected action," said Frans Baleni, secretary general of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).
Solidarity, the NUM and the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) have all welcomed the new offer, which was thrashed out in talks facilitated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) over the weekend.
They have indicated that their members might accept it - and avert a strike.Congress of the SA Trade Unions' secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi said a strike on Monday could be catastrophic for the country.
"We highly recommend the offer, as it will benefit the workers," he said.Eskom initially offered an 8.5 percent wage increase and a R1000 housing allowance. The unions were demanding a nine percent wage increase and a R2500 housing allowance.
"The trade unions will take this back for final confirmation of their members, but we're going to do that with a recommendation for acceptance and it's most likely that members will accept this agreement," said Hermann.
Baleni said the NUM and Numsa also believed their negotiating team would be able to successfully sell the offer to members.
CCMA director Nerine Kahn said the three unions would revert back on Friday with a response on the proposed offer.
Baleni described the new offer as the "product of serious negotiation" in the past two days.
Hermann said Solidarity was "relieved" that a settlement had been reached around the negotiating table because this was "the best for South Africa, the workers and Eskom".
"We hope this settlement paves the way for a new era of labour relations at Eskom," he said, adding that the whole negotiating process had been under pressure because of the bad state of labour relations in Eskom and huge levels of frustration of workers.
"Eskom's challenge now will be to resolve this underlying frustration. "We believe this settlement is the first step in resolving underlying tensions and frustrations in Eskom."
Last week, the CCMA issued a certificate of non-resolution when the talks deadlocked after several conciliation meetings. Eskom members planned to strike from Monday.
The NUM and Numsa said on Sunday that they would continue engaging Eskom to conclude a minimum service level agreement.
"As we speak, all workers at Eskom are regarded as essential, from a security to a cleaner," said Numsa secretary general Irvin Jim.
A service level agreement would give workers the right to strike, he said.The NUM and Numsa also spoke out against Eskom's spending of R12 million on World Cup tickets.
"A bleeding company must be seen acting in a particular way," said Baleni, adding that this was especially so when a wage offer was being made.
Vavi said the tickets were shared among executives, who could afford to buy them given their "massive salaries and bonuses" and not ordinary workers.
*From: http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article532940.ece/Unions-to-recommend-new-Eskom-offer-to-workers*
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