2-year wage agreement in cotton textile sector

THE SOUTHERN African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (Sactwu) has settled its 2018 wage negotiations in the cotton textile sector.

“It’s a two-year agreement. The wage increase for 2018 will be 7.75%, and for 2019 it will be 7.5%,” said Sactwu general secretary Andre Kriel.

The increases for this year would be backdated to July 1, according to the settlement, which had been reached between Sactwu and the SA Cotton and Textile Processing Employers’ Association (Sactpea), said Kriel.

He said the agreement was reached under the auspices of the National Textile Bargaining Council (NTBC), with Sactwu’s employer counterparts Sactpea.

Sactpea chief negotiator Hans Brower said there had been a slight improvement in the payment of annual bonuses.

“There was also a flexibility clause, that was agreed, which allows employers on a monthly notice to its employees to work for longer periods, where, for example, if you have a shutdown of three weeks you would then be able to reduce that to 10 days, and allowing employees to take the balance of their annual leave the following year.

“From the employers’ perspective, we believe that this agreement was extremely generous from our side,” said Brower.

Sactwu national negotiator for the cotton textile sector Themba Ngcobo said that about 7 500 workers nationally benefited from the agreement.

He said a commissioner from the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration assisted the two negotiating parties to agree to a recommended settlement, which Sactwu had presented to its members for their approval.