SACTWU Secures 6.5% Wage Increase for Footwear Sector Workers

THE Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU) has secured a new 6.25% wage settlement for its footwear sector members.

The terms of the new collective agreement prescribed that all footwear sector workers in South Africa will now receive a 6.25% wage increase, with effect from 1 July 2021.

This will be supplemented with a further 0.25% wage increase on current rates of pay, with effect from 1 January next year.

“We are pleased that we were able to secure this wage increase for our footwear sector members, through robust collective bargaining under extremely difficult COVID-19 pandemic conditions,” said SACTWU’s general secretary Andre Kriel.

“Early next year, we will commence fresh negotiations for new wage increases to become effective from 1 July 2022.”

Kriel said the agreement further provides that the severance pay of any employee who is unfortunately retrenched between now and June next year will be calculated