South Africa: Leather sector wage dispute settled
The Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers' Union (SACTWU) has settled a wage dispute for employees in the leather goods and footwear sector, averting a strike scheduled for the first week of June, according to a statement.
The SACTWU had declared the disagreement earlier in the month, but a deal was eventually reached with employers through South Africa’s national bargaining council for the leather industry.
The leather footwear industry's 11,000 workers will receive an 8% wage increase, effective from July 1, 2002. The old agreement expires on 30 June 2002. Workers in the leather general goods and handbags sector also settled on 8%.
In other areas, the SACTWU has also committed itself to an HIV/AIDS policy for its members. The policy includes clear achievement objectives and targets for shop steward and membership HIV/AIDS education and awareness programmes, voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), treatment, home-based care, dependants, collective bargaining, campaigns, and civil society partnerships.
