Clothing dispute goes to CCMA

25 Sep 2009

A wage dispute in the clothing and textile industry has been referred to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) after the union rejected a revised offer, an official said on Wednesday, 23 September 2009.

"We have on Sunday received a letter from the director of the CCMA, offering to assist to resolve the dispute," said SA Clothing and Textile Workers' Union (Sactwu) general secretary Andre Kriel.

This was after the union rejected a revised offer from the National Employer Caucus, representing employers in the industry, on Friday, 18 September, "because it is not a new offer", said Kriel.

"In brief, the offer is for an eight percent wage increase tightly linked to certain conditions.

"The conditions state that workers must agree to lose part of their wage earnings if they are absent from work, even in instances where such absences are legally authorised.

"We have no idea why employers have tabled the same offer which was already rejected three weeks ago when there was no strike."

Some 55000 Sactwu members started a national strike on Tuesday, 15 September, to press for better wages.

The union is demanding a 7.9% increase, with paid sick leave and bigger increases for workers in rural areas who are the lowest paid in the industry, said Kriel.

The conditions attached to the 8% wage offer "are not acceptable to our members", he said.

A meeting between all parties has been scheduled for today, Friday, 25 September.

Source: Sapa

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