That included the minimum, midpoint, and maximum salaries of workers across 10 pay grades in the bargaining unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bargaining unit salary adjustments are implemented in July of each year. Between July 2017 and June 2018, those on the lowest T04 paygrade earned R135,390 per year or R11,282.50 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most skilled engineers and technicians on the highest T13\/P13 paygrade received R595,410 per year \u2014 or roughly R49,618 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MyBroadband previously used<\/a> these salaries as a starting point and calculated that the entry-level monthly salary had risen to R18,475 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The top-earning bargaining unit members were bagging R81,248 per month. These adjusted amounts were based on the following increases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the incoming increase of 7% from 1 July 2026, the entry-level salary will increase to R19,768 per month, while the top earners will get R86,935 per month, as shown in the table below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Solidarity secretary-general Gideon du Plessis also recently revealed that the average Eskom worker in this unit earns about R457,800 per year, or R38,150 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After applying the average increase of 7%, the amount will rise to R489,846 per year or R40,821 per month. Between July 2017 and July 2026, Eskom bargaining unit salaries will have increased by 75%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is much higher than the average inflation rate of 46% over the same period. Du Plessis defended the above-inflation increases<\/a> as necessary to retain sought-after skills within the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also highlighted that this average was much lower than Eskom’s annual average cost per employee, which worked out to about R1.027 million in 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While Du Plessis and other union representatives have praised workers for helping the country avoid load-shedding, economist Dawie Roodt has a different view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Roodt does not believe that South Africa should credit the employees for their work, likening it to “praising a duck for swimming.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Estimated Eskom bargaining unit salaries July 2025 to June 2026<\/strong><\/th><\/tr> Grades<\/strong><\/th> Minimum<\/strong><\/th> Midpoint<\/strong><\/th> Maximum<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead> T04<\/td> R19,768<\/td> R24,700<\/td> R29,637<\/td><\/tr> T05<\/td> R22,278<\/td> R27,842<\/td> R33,404<\/td><\/tr> T06<\/td> R25,108<\/td> R31,380<\/td> R37,653<\/td><\/tr> T07<\/td> R28,283<\/td> R35,362<\/td> R42,432<\/td><\/tr> T08<\/td> R31,892<\/td> R39,856<\/td> R47,819<\/td><\/tr> T09<\/td> R35,936<\/td> R44,915<\/td> R53,899<\/td><\/tr> T10<\/td> R40,491<\/td> R50,614<\/td> R60,736<\/td><\/tr> T11\/P11<\/td> R45,633<\/td> R57,053<\/td> R68,460<\/td><\/tr> T12\/P12<\/td> R51,437<\/td> R64,298<\/td> R77,150<\/td><\/tr> T13\/P13<\/td> R57,968<\/td> R72,454<\/td> R86,935<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Union leader defends hikes \u2014 economist calls for cuts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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