SA clothing manufacturers in minimum-wage court action

According to Business Report, apparel Manufacturers of SA (Amsa), a leading employer body of clothing Manufacturers, has approached the Labour Court in Durban to compel the clothing industry bargaining council to shut down 400 factories that are not complying with the minimum wage structure for clothing makers. The action is threatening 21 000 jobs.

The court action comes after Amsa failed to reach a wage increase agreement with the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union (Sactwu) last week. "Since our proposed wage model has been rejected by the union we have no choice but to compel the bargaining council to deal with non-compliant companies." Amsa executive director Johann Baard said the legal route would ensure that action was taken against non-compliant companies, Business Day reports.

The association's new wage model sought to set a lower minimum wage that would only apply to new workers. Sactwu, which claims to represent 80 percent of clothing workers, rejected the proposal, saying that it would significantly cut the wage rates of staff, according to Business Report.

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