South African textile employers boycott wage negotiations

The South African Union Clothing and Textile Association (UCTA) stated that they will not accept the results of the ongoing new negotiations on the wages of the current Negotiating Committee until the settlement of the minimum wage dispute. UCTA**AhmedParuk said on May 18th.

Paruk also claimed that employer organizations in other industries have adopted similar positions.

The UCTA and the Negotiating Committee have been in conflict with the minimum wage since 2010, and the minimum wage rose to 336 rand in April. The negotiating committee has been cracking down on illegal factories. Prior to this, the committee decided to let these companies gradually comply with the minimum wage decision.

UCTA has 300 factories that do not comply with regulations. The Negotiating Committee began to check 416 factories that did not comply with the regulations last month. During the inspection process, some factories were closed, but other factories were restarted.

The non-compliance factory hired at least 14,500 people, and from September 2008 to September 2009, it owed workers 86 million rand.

In 2010, the Negotiating Committee agreed that the factory must start from the beginning of April and pay a minimum wage of 336 rand per week, pay 465 rand minimum wage by the end of the year, and pay 516 rand minimum wage by April of next year.

Baard, managing director of the South African Garment Manufacturers Association, said that his association could not support the UCTA's call for evading negotiations because it means that workers alone determine the wages of the industry.