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Cape Town - A major national strike of over 50 000 clothing workers has been averted at the last minute on Monday.
The Cosatu-affiliated Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers Union (Sactwu) on Monday morning settled its national wage dispute in the clothing industry.
This was after a majority of employer associations with whom Sactwu negotiated conceded to all of the union’s final demands.
The agreement was ratified and signed at a special council meeting of the clothing industry bargaining council. Five out of the six employer associations endorsed the agreement.
In terms of the clothing bargaining council’s constitutional provisions, the wage agreement is legitimately ratified if a simple majority of employer representatives and a similar simple majority of trade union representatives vote in favour of adoption of the agreement.
The required majority vote was achieved. The settlement gives labour cost certainty. which will help to promote industrial stability in the industry, according to the union.
The settlement has been achieved on the back of the union having strike-balloted over 40 000 clothing workers, 86% of whom voted in favour of industrial action.
In terms of the settlement, clothing workers in urban areas will receive a 7% total labour cost increase. Non-metro area clothing workers will receive a 10.1% wage increase.
All wage increases will be backdated to September 1 2013.
Those clothing employers, who have unilaterally implemented wage increases without the union's consent and those party employer associations, who have not signed the agreement, will be required to implement a further 1% wage increase.
"This is to discourage unilateralism, which in our view, is detrimental to orderly collective bargaining," said Sactwu.
The parties to the agreement will convene an industry summit by no later than the first quarter of next year, to examine the state of the industry and to discuss what further interventions would be required to strengthen its future sustainability.
"Sactwu now looks forward to focus on the developmental challenges facing the industry," said the union in a statement.
- Fin24
The Cosatu-affiliated Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers Union (Sactwu) on Monday morning settled its national wage dispute in the clothing industry.
This was after a majority of employer associations with whom Sactwu negotiated conceded to all of the union’s final demands.
The agreement was ratified and signed at a special council meeting of the clothing industry bargaining council. Five out of the six employer associations endorsed the agreement.
In terms of the clothing bargaining council’s constitutional provisions, the wage agreement is legitimately ratified if a simple majority of employer representatives and a similar simple majority of trade union representatives vote in favour of adoption of the agreement.
The required majority vote was achieved. The settlement gives labour cost certainty. which will help to promote industrial stability in the industry, according to the union.
The settlement has been achieved on the back of the union having strike-balloted over 40 000 clothing workers, 86% of whom voted in favour of industrial action.
In terms of the settlement, clothing workers in urban areas will receive a 7% total labour cost increase. Non-metro area clothing workers will receive a 10.1% wage increase.
All wage increases will be backdated to September 1 2013.
Those clothing employers, who have unilaterally implemented wage increases without the union's consent and those party employer associations, who have not signed the agreement, will be required to implement a further 1% wage increase.
"This is to discourage unilateralism, which in our view, is detrimental to orderly collective bargaining," said Sactwu.
The parties to the agreement will convene an industry summit by no later than the first quarter of next year, to examine the state of the industry and to discuss what further interventions would be required to strengthen its future sustainability.
"Sactwu now looks forward to focus on the developmental challenges facing the industry," said the union in a statement.
- Fin24
