As the SA economy suffers another week of load-shedding, two majority unions, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) will to meet Eskom this week to chart the way forward in the long drawn-out wage negotiations.
Union leaders are expected on Tuesday to give Eskom a formal response to its 7% wage increase offer after consulting union members over the weekend.
TimesLIVE reported on Friday that Eskom has in addition to the 7% wage increase offered in principle to reinstate the conditions of employment, which included transport benefits for those called for standby shifts and double pay for Sunday shifts
The previous round of negotiations reached a dead end, resulting in workers engaging in a wildcat strike. This, along with long-standing generation challenges, caused Eskom to implement various stages of load-shedding throughout last week.
While workers returned to work after the power utility and unions reached an in principle wage agreement last week, Eskom says it is not enough to claw back from maintenance delays and restore power supply, resulting in it resuming stage 6 load-shedding from Monday.
The ANC in Gauteng, which recently elected education MEC Panyaza Lesufi chairperson, is expected to hold a provincial general council this weekend to elect additional members to its provincial executive committee.
The provincial conference adjourned in June after various delays over credentials resulted in delegates being unable to nominate or vote for the additional members of the provincial executive committee who will serve alongside Lesufi and four other elected officials. The provincial general council will also discuss the unresolved dispute of the Ekurhuleni votes, which were quarantined after five branches were barred from voting in the region’s conference in May.
Motorists will this week be hit with another steep fuel price hike as the government’s temporary reduction in the general fuel levy is set to be halved on July 6 to 75c/l.
On Tuesday parliament’s portfolio committee on home affairs will be briefed by home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi on the investigation by the Hawks into the allegations of corruption levelled against the CEO of the Government Printing Works, Alinah Fosi.
The committee will also deliberate on the Electoral Amendment Bill, while the portfolio committee on social development will on Wednesday continue with its deliberations on the Children’s Amendment Bill.
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