A 12% wage increase.
This, fellow South Africans, is the reason why the country was plunged into a Stage 6 load shedding crisis this week.
Apart from the general misery it means for ordinary citizens in our daily lives, the power outages are costing the economy billions of rands.
It is shocking that this was allowed to happen at all.
Yes, we can certainly blame it on the illegal strike by members of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (NUMSA) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) – and the disruptions caused to an already faltering service.
But let’s not overlook Eskom management and government’s poor handling of this crisis.
When the country needed strong leadership, they were found wanting.
The warning lights started flashing last week when the workers demanded a wage hike of 12%, which bosses initially countered with an offer of between 4% and 5.3%.
No deal.
Next, striking thugs embarked on an intimidation campaign, in which they went as far as petrol-bombing the homes of four plant operators.
Still no deal.
It was when we stared down the barrel of Stage 6 cuts that something had to give.
What happened next behind closed doors is not clear, but on Tuesday night, public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan announced there had been a breakthrough.
The workers returned to duty on Wednesday and a new wage offer would be tabled on Friday.
It is understood that the revised offer is a 7% hike.
Let’s all hope they can hammer out a deal – otherwise we’’e in for a bleak weekend.
Still, it wouldn’t feel like a happy ending.
It’s not lekker knowing that our only electricity provider is perpetually seconds from disaster.
And no one is held accountable for it.
Yes, all employees deserve salary increases in line with inflation.
It’s not the workers’ fault that Eskom has been run into the ground by corruption and mismanagement.
But there must be consequences for holding the nation to ransom like this.
Electricity supply is an essential service, meaning it is illegal to strike.
The thugs who went on the rampage must be arrested and locked up.
And union bosses must also be held accountable for allowing their members to catch on all of this k@k.
Heads must roll.
Unfortunately, government lacks the political will to... do anything about it.
NUM knows it. The union, which Cyril Ramaphosa himself established in the 1980s, seemed to act without impunity as they played their part in bringing the country to its knees this week.
They probably figured the president was in a position to spare a few million dollars from his mattress fund to fatten their pay cheques...
Eskom boss Andre de Ruyter was nowhere to be seen, and Minister Gordhan only stepped in when the clock struck Stage 6 o’clock.
Who’s in charge of this sh!t show?!
taariq.halim@inl.co.za