Cape Town - At least 6 000 clothing workers in the woven-cotton textile sub-sector nationally are set to benefit from a new 7% wage increase following successful negotiations between unions and employers.
The Cosatu-affiliated Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (Sactwu) on Monday announced that it has settled its 2022/2024 wage negotiations in the sub-sector.
Effective from July 1, 2022, until June 30, 2024, the new two-year collective agreement was concluded under the auspices of the National Textile Bargaining Council (NTBC), with employers represented by the South African Cotton & Textile Processing Employers' Association (SACTPEA).
In the first year of the new two-year collective agreement ending in June 2023, employees will receive a 7% wage increase and in the second year, wage increases will be pegged at the same rand value, Sactwu said.
“The settlement was achieved after four negotiation rounds, which commenced on 25 April this year, and concluded on 22 June 2022.
“The now signed new collective agreement will be submitted to the Minister of Employment and Labour, with a request for its gazettal and extension to non-party employers,” said Sactwu general secretary Andre Kriel.
He added: “The annual bonus payment will increase from three weeks’ wages to 3.5 weeks’ wages for workers with between one year’s and three years’ service, and to four weeks’ wages for those workers with more than three years’ service. Workers with less than one year’s service will receive a pro-rated annual bonus of two weeks. The annual bonus is compulsory, and employers are required to pay it out before the end of December.”
Employees would also not be forced to get vaccinated.
“Regarding Covid-19, it was agreed to make arrangements that enable employees to be vaccinated on a voluntary basis,” Kriel said.
Cape Times