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Sactwu Responds on Closure of Newcastle Clothing Companies

Monday, 30 August 2010 14:17

PRESS STATEMENT:

SACTWU RESPONSE ON CLOSURE OF NEWCASTLE CLOTHING COMPANIES

The Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU) has taken note of the decision by the Newcastle Chinese Chamber of Commerce to close its member factories in Newcastle, KZN, in response to the compliance drive by the National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Manufacturing Industry.

We point out that this action amounts to an illegal lockout and have instructed our legal representatives to launch an urgent Labour Court legal application to rectify this unacceptable situation.

We have also noted the call by the Newcastle Chinese Chamber of Commerce for KZN Provincial Government intervention in the matter. In this regard,

the SACTWU General Secretary has today written to the KZN MEC for Economic Development, Mr. Michael Mabuyakhulu, and pointed out the following SACTWU position:

“We have noted in today’s Business Report that the Newcastle Chinese Chamber of Commerce has resolved to close all its clothing companies, in response to the compliance drive by the National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Manufacturing Industry in South Africa.

We further note the Chamber’s call for provincial government intervention in the matter.

We write to advise that SACTWU is very concerned about this state of affairs and its impact on the creation and protection of jobs in the KZN Province, and nationally. Accordingly, we would not be opposed to a tri-partite engagement on the matter.

At the outset, we wish to state that we will do anything within in our power to save and create jobs in the clothing, textile, leather and footwear sector.

We point out though that an engagement on the matter should take into account the policy positions agreed at last year’s KZN Province’s Economic Recovery and Jobs Summit, held on 6-7 August 2009.

In this regard, we recall that the following were some of the agreed Summit outcomes, for our industry:

-that the clothing, textile, leather and footwear (CTFL) industry is a vulnerable sector needing special support measures and, given its labour intensive nature, that steps must be taken to secure its future sustainability and growth;

-full respect for and observance of fair labour standards and national legislation is non-negotiable;

-the creation of a conducive environment to ensure compliance with bargaining council agreements for the industry, with health and safety standards and with the principle of decent work for all, especially for women who form the bulk of the sectoral labour force;

-the understanding of the key links in the value chain and the promotion of close interaction between them should be an important priority, but subject to the promotion of the principle of decent work and the promotion of a culture of labour law and tax compliance.

-The general conclusion was that the KZN Provincial Government would be supportative of a campaign for Decent work in the Province.

We advise that we remain open to find, together with the National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Manufacturing Industry and your Ministry, a constructive solution to this very concerning situation.

We await suggestions from you on how to proceed with this matter.”

We now await a response from the MEC.

Issued by Andre Kriel

General Secretary

If further comment is required, kindly contact SACTWU’s Wayne van der Rheede on 082 8007143 or Chris Gina on 082 9409456

Clothing Union Requests meeting with Woolworths

Wednesday, 28 July 2010 09:57

PRESS STATEMENT

CLOTHING UNION REQUESTS MEETING WITH WOOLWORTHS

The Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU) has called for an urgent meeting with Woolworths to discuss the pending closure of Intimate Apparel, a Cape Town-based underwear and swimwear manufacturer and a key local supplier to Woolworths.

Should the closure of this factory proceed, it will have disastrous consequences, especially taking into account the current depressed economic circumstances, the recent wave of job losses (both nationally and in the clothing manufacturing sector in particular) which has seen unemployment increase to its highest rate in five years, the detrimental downstream consequences, the fact that many Intimate Apparel’s workers are single mothers and the socio-economic effects on the areas and communities where the workers live.

The proposed closure will see more than 800 people, the vast majority of whom are women, losing their jobs. Taking into account that each worker has at least five dependents, it would see the income on which more than 4,000 people depend, coming to a halt.

SACTWU has submitted its request for a meeting today and is awaiting a reply from Woolworths.

We believe that retailers in general and Woolworths in particular can play a major role in preventing the pending job losses.

Issued by Andre Kriel, SACTWU General Secretary, 021 4474570

SACTWU mourns the passing away of Robbie Jansen

Wednesday, 14 July 2010 01:53

PRESS STATEMENT

SACTWU mourns the passing away of Robbie Jansen

The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU) mourns the passing away of music legend, Robbie Jansen.

We will always remember how, together with the legendary Basil ‘Manenberg’ Coetzee, his music inspired two generations of our trade union activists – since the 1970s and the dark apartheid days to the promise of a better life for all at the advent of our beloved country’s first democratic elections in 1994.

We will remember fondly Robbie’s rendition of ‘Archie Bongo’, played at many freedom rallies since the late 1970s, and its haunting lines

‘Freedom where have you been hiding yourself,

I’ve been looking for you all over’

We salute his collaboration with Basil Coetzee and Abdullah Ibrahim on the groundbreaking ‘Mannenberg is where it’s happening’ and call on the people of Cape Town to use this as an opportunity to help strengthen the Proudly Manenberg Campaign.

Robbie’s cover versions of ‘What’s Going On’ and ‘Georgia’ will, for us, remain classic unforgettables. We will miss the ‘Cape Doctor’ and call on the Western Cape Provincial Government to name a street after him and on the national government to bestow national honours on him.

Issued by Andre Kriel, General Secretary, SACTWU, 021 4474570

SACTWU is an affiliate of COSATU and the largest trade union in the Western Cape.

Sactwu Matric Winter School 2010

Thursday, 08 July 2010 00:00

PRESS STATEMENT

SACTWU MATRIC WINTER SCHOOL 2010

Whilst other people have been enjoying the excitement of the FIFA Soccer World Cup, 98 matriculants have been taking extra lessons to prepare for the matric exams.

This has taken place at the annual Matric Winter School of the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union(SACTWU), held at Spes Bona High School in Athlone, Cape Town, the Ethembeni Enrichment Centre in Port Elizabeth and the John Whitteker Secondary School in East London .

The Cape Town SACTWU Matric Winter School runs until Friday 9^th July 2010, while the Eastern Cape SACTWU Matric Winter Schools have already been completed.

These Winter Schools have been fully funded by SACTWU and are for the matriculant dependants of our members. The objective is to provide extra assistance in the most difficult subjects to these matriculants, who come from low-income working class families.

This year the Matric Winter School focused on Mathematics, Physics, Life Science, English Home Language, English 1^st Additional Language and Accounting. In the Cape Town Matric Winter School, classes are conducted in both English and Afrikaans. In addition to the subjects listed here, sessions on career guidance and life skills training were conducted by a life skills coach.

The Matric Winter Schools is part of the social responsibility program of SACTWU.

Issued by Andre Kriel, General Secretary, SACTWU

If further comment or information is required please contact our SACTWU Matric Winter School co-ordinator, Hazel Jacobs on 082 200 6404 or 021 447 4570.

COSATU and the World Cup Organising Committee

Friday, 14 May 2010 11:59

SACTWU Press Release :

COSATU and the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa (OC) has been in discussion for a while now in relation to the procurement of local products that will create more local job opportunities for South Africans. The sentiments and commitments from both COSATU and the FIFA office in Zurich are on record, and the parties today take the opportunity to call on all South Africans to get behind the World Cup and promote local procurement.

The following facts do paint a worrying picture and it is these circumstances that inform this call on South Africans to get behind local jobs as the key legacy of the World Cup: a large number of illegally imported World Cup goods are flowing into South Africa in the run up to the World Cup.

Authorities are seizing millions of Rands of goods every week at harbours and airports across South Africa. Since November 2009 alone, the SA Revenue Service has seized more than R88 million worth of fake goods at airports and harbours, with weekly reports of more seizures. These fake imports threaten the jobs of people in factories in Durban, Cape Town and many other cities and towns. Already 14 400 clothing and textile jobs have been lost in the past year, as well as many opportunities lost from the World Cup products that could have been manufactured in South Africa.

As per the national consensus, the parties very clearly support the promotion of decent work. FIFA is very conscious of the need for ethical business practices and takes the conditions of employment and work very seriously. Global Brands Group (GBG), as FIFA’s Master Licensee, and all Sub-Licensees appointed by GBG, have signed the Code of Conduct of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry as well as the Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

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