Clothing union talks stall

A strike is looming in the clothing sector after the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (Sactwu) declared a national wage dispute, the union said yesterday.

General secretary Andre Kriel said the dispute was declared after the trade union and clothing industry employers could not reach a settlement after three rounds of negotiations.

“The dispute was formally declared on the afternoon of Thursday, July 12, 2018.

“Clothing employers are offering a 7% wage increase and our members are demanding an 8% package increase for metro areas and 8.5% for non-metro areas.

“Our members have rejected the employers’ final offer of a 7% ,” Kriel said in a statement.

He said they have written to the National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Manufacturing Industry (NBC) and requested its general secretary, Sicelo Nduna, to process the dispute as per the requirements of the Clothing Bargaining Council’s constitution.

He said the Labour Relations Act (LRA) requires them to refer the dispute to the bargaining council, which they have now complied with.

“The next step in the process is conciliation and the law states that it is the duty of the bargaining council general secretary to set up the conciliation.

“The clothing sector is the largest organised sector within our trade union,” said Kriel.

“If clothing employers do not concede to our final demands during conciliation, it will mean that the deadlock will remain unresolved.

“We will, in that event, conduct a strike ballot in the clothing industry.

“This means that 60 000 clothing workers might embark on a wage strike.”

A date for conciliation was not yet released.

Meanwhile, Sactwu has settled wage negotiations in two sectors, the general goods and handbags and tanning leather.

“Our members in the tanning leather sector will receive a 7.75% wage increase. Members in the general goods and handbags leather sector will receive an 8% wage increase.”

The increases were retrospective to July 1. – ANA

If clothing employers do not concede to our final demands [8% for metro; 8.5% for non-metro areas] during conciliation ... we will conduct a strike ballot in the clothing industry.