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The COSATU-affiliated Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU) has now also settled its wage dispute in the footwear sector. The dispute was settled after 3 rounds of wage negotiations and 1 dispute meeting.

The new wage increase for SACTWU's footwear sector members will be backdated to 1 July 2022. Wage increases in this sector were due to take effect on 1 July this year. The signature processes for the written wage agreement for this new footwear sector wage settlement were completed last week, on 5 July 2022.

This new collective agreement for the footwear sector is effective from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023. It provides for a wage increase of 6.8%. This new collective agreement was successfully concluded under the dispute processes and procedures of the National Bargaining Council of the Leather Industry of South Africa, with employers represented by the Southern African Footwear & Leather Industries Association (SAFLIA). 

In addition to the wage increases, this footwear sector agreement also provides for the following improvements:

• 1 additional day's paid Family Responsibility Leave
• A recommendation to the bargaining council to increase the employee agency shop fee
• A commitment to commence a process as soon as possible, to renew the Footwear Main Agreement, the Import Replacement Scheme, as well as the Employee Assistance Schemes.

Negotiations in this sector commenced on 20 April 2022 and were followed by a dispute conciliation meeting held on 15 June 2022. SACTWU had declared a wage dispute against the footwear employers on 14th June 2022. The final agreement was confirmed on 28 June 2022.

This now signed new collective agreement for the footwear sector will be submitted to the Minister of Employment & Labour, with a request for its gazettal and extension to non-party employers.

Issued by SACTWU General Secretary Andre Kriel