The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Wednesday slammed power utility Eskom’s 5.6% wage hike, echoing the sentiments of fellow trade union Solidarity.

Eskom would go ahead with a 5.6% basic wage hike for its employees following the conclusion of an arbitration process overseen by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).

The arbitration award, which granted Eskom workers a total cost-to-company increase of 6.3%, was decided after Eskom, the NUM, Solidarity and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa failed to reach an agreement on wage increases last year.

“[The] NUM’s displeasure is that the increase awarded by the CCMA on basic salary is exactly what Eskom proposed and to its favour,” the union’s general secretary Frans Baleni said, adding that there “was no fairness” in the outcome.

The unions had tabled proposals for total cost-to-company increases ranging from 20.1% to 44.3% and, after three rounds of negotiations, Eskom in September declared a dispute with the three unions, the process of which was concluded in November.

Eskom had also declared its employees an 'essential service', which prohibited strike action.

“It is clear that Eskom is no longer interested in harnessing good working relations and no longer prepared to treat its employees as important stakeholder[s] and partner[s] within its confines, despite declaring them essential,” Baleni said.