Shoe industry flat during strike

THE national strike in the footwear and leather industry has led to an Elsies River factory shutting down this week because too few workers showed up for work.

The strike led by the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (Sactwu) enters its 10th day today.

Sactwu general secretary Andre Kriel said: “One of the big developments is that Bolton Shoes in Elsies River shut down their factory completely for the whole week on Tuesday.

“About 5% of their workers were working. For us it means that our strike is strong, because no production is taking place at that factory.”

Sactwu and National Union of Leather and Allied Workers (Nulaw) members had gone on strike after their wage talks with the South African Footwear and Leather Industry Association (Saflia) that represents the sector’s employers had deadlocked.

The unions demanded a 9% increase, while employers offered 6.25%.

In a joint Sactwu/Nulaw statement, Kriel and Nulaw general secretary Ashley Benjamin said that despite sporadic acts of intimidation against members to weaken their resolve, the strike was strong and they were determined to pursue their demands.

“Their final offer still remains at a wage increase of 6.25%. The two unions remain steadfast that we want a better package increase for our members,” they said.

Saflia chairperson Noel Whitehead said the strike was causing hardship on both sides. Most footwear manufacturers were working short time due to depressed sales reflected in the annual footwear statistics which reduced total manufacturing in 2017 to 17%.

“This reduction in 2017 is the first year since 2011 that we had negative production in the footwear industry. All indications are that the 2018 production numbers will reduce further, placing massive strain on the industry as a whole,” he added. “Our offer of the 6.25% increase in wages… is a fair offer.”