Union settles tough wage negotiations in the garment sector in South Africa

Negotiations were conducted on virtual platforms and concluded after the union had declared a dispute. Several conciliation meetings were held to resolve the stalemate.

Over 70,000 workers will benefit from the collective agreement which will increase wages above inflation and increase bonus payments.

Most of SACTWU’s members are in the garment sector and the union also organizes in textiles, leather, and shoe sectors, as well as other industries in the value chain. According to the government, these sectors contribute about 2.5 per cent of South African manufacturing and employ mostly women.

The union says this year’s negotiations in the National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Manufacturing Industry were tough because of disruptions caused by the pandemic, including factory and retail shop closures, retrenchments, and reduced working time for some workers. Other employers even wanted to change permanent contracts to temporary ones and to freeze wages – the union fiercely resisted these proposals.

SACTWU has carried out a living wage campaign for many years and the campaign did not stop because of Covid-19. However, because of the Covid-19 restrictions, the campaign continued through social media and online platforms.

In March, SACTWU concluded a ground-breaking national collective agreement in the textile sector to ensure payment of full wages during the lockdown.

Andre Kriel, SACTWU general secretary said:

“Employer wage freeze proposals due to the Covid-19 pandemic is not an option at all. We are determined to always and without fear or favour, pursue our members’ living wage demands. We are pleased that a mutually satisfactory settlement has now been struck in the clothing industry under extremely difficult economic conditions.”

Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL director for the textile and garment industry, said:

“Covid-19 has caused havoc in the garment sector globally and we applaud SACTWU for continuing to fight for living wages under these harsh conditions. We need to continue to stress that the pandemic should not be used as an excuse by employers not to pay living wages.”

The employer associations that signed the agreement are the Apparel & Textile Association of South Africa (ATASA), South African Apparel Association (SAAA) and the Transvaal Clothing Manufacturers Association (TCMA).

Photo: SACTWU members during a nationwide protest in 2017.

South African union campaigns for an end to violence against women

One of the members receiving the support is Pontsho Serumula.
Serumula, who works for a company that manufactures aluminium products, suffered third degree burns in an acid attack on her face and body by her estranged husband at their home in Thokoza outside Johannesburg in 2014. She suspects that the acid was obtained from the factory where she and the husband are both employed.
 
Serumula was admitted to hospital, and it took her two years to recover from the burns. The case is in court where the former husband is facing attempted murder charges. After several postponements, judgment is expected to be delivered in 2021.
 
Recalling the trauma, Serumula says:

“After recovering from the burns, the operations manager said I should not come back to work as I would not cope. The reason he gave was that I will not be able to lift objects. I was surprised by this because my job does not require me to lift objects. It was only after my doctor’s intervention that I resumed work. The employer never apologized for the ill-informed decision to stop me from working. I feel pain when I see my former husband at work, and we continue to carry out our duties as if nothing happened. Although we no longer live together. I am waiting for justice.
 
“My union stood with me during this ordeal. The support I got from NUMSA shows that unions are fighting against gender-based violence. This shows that we are stronger when we stand together. We must also be visible and must stand for other women who are facing gender-based violence.

“There must be no space at home, at work or in the union for gender-based violence and sexism. Women must enjoy the protection of the law and our union leaders must not shy away from supporting women who are facing abuse.”

Pontsho in yellow t-shirt outside the Palm Ridge Court.

Ruth Ntlokotse, NUMSA 2nd deputy president, says:

“Besides the obvious extreme physical pain, comrade Pontsho has experienced intense emotional and psychological pain because of the trauma caused by the attack. Her suffering has been worsened by the fact that the wheels of justice have been terribly slow in her case.”

Armelle Seby, IndustriALL gender coordinator, says:

“We want justice for comrade Pontsho and commend NUMSA for being an agent of change raising awareness, educating, and fighting against gender-based violence. As trade unions we must challenge the unequal power relationships and social norms that promote gender-based violence.”

Photo caption: Pontsho in yellow t-shirt outside the Palm Ridge Court.

Union office building in the Lesotho highlands shows the power of global solidarity

This is a dream come true for the union which has been tirelessly organizing mineworkers but facing difficulties in accessing the very remote diamond mine sites. At a strategic organizing meeting of the IndustriALL Diamond Global Network two years ago in Johannesburg, South Africa, IDUL explained how difficult it is to reach and organize the mineworkers because the mines are located at high altitude in the mountains.

The unions that were present at the network meeting listened to IDUL’s plight and a plan was made to build an office closer to the mines. An organizing team led by Glen Mpufane, the IndustriALL director for mining, diamond, gems, ornaments, jewellery and precious stones, South African unions, and IDUL organizers, visited the site during a recruitment drive at Storm Mountain Diamond mine in 2019. The construction, which was supported by IndustriALL and Belgian union ACV-CSC Transcom, then started.

Mpufane said:

“During the mission we concluded that it is strategic for the union to build the offices as this would reduce the need to commute from union offices in Maseru – about 190km away – to organize meetings with the workers. We also identified the visibility of the union in the mining area as a critical factor in unionizing the mineworkers.”

Now the union can organize and better coordinate its activities among the diamond mineworkers from the recently completed offices at Kao Village, Butha Buthe District.

The office is located next to Storm Mountain Diamond mine and a few kilometres from Letseng and Liqhobong mines. In recent months, the Lesotho mines have dug large stones worth millions of dollars. Letseng mine is considered the highest dollar per carat Kimberlite diamond operation in the world.

With resident organizers, the office will enable the union to recruit and organize more workers as well as provide better services to its members. The office will also be a place for workers to meet and get information about the union, about labour laws especially on workers’ rights and collective bargaining, operational health and safety, HIV and AIDS information as well as materials on the Covid-19 pandemic.

Yves Toutenel, general secretary of ACV–CSC Transcom said:

“It is of course essential that in order to help members you need the necessary resources to be at your disposal. We are therefore very pleased that in collaboration with IndustriALL Global Union we have been able to support IDUL through a financial injection so that the union can grow and expand into the future.”

 Valter Sanches, IndustriALL Global Union general secretary said: 

“Even the Covid-19 pandemic has not stopped IDUL’s efforts to organize Lesotho’s mineworkers and has not deterred global workers’ solidarity which remains resilient as seen through initiatives to strengthen trade union power through organizing. We commend the ACV-CSC Transcom for providing support to IDUL so that the union can build power through organizing and shop steward capacity development programmes for the diamond mineworkers.

“We commend also IndustriALL affiliates in South Africa – the National Union of Mineworkers, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa and UASA the union – that are training shop stewards from IDUL through political schools and training programmes. This is an exemplary case how union strength on the ground and global solidarity can help workers improve their working conditions.”

African unions united for Africa Industrialization campaign

The webinar voiced that African industrialization should be inclusive of multiple stakeholders, including investors, governments, trade unions, employers, civil society organizations, and communities. The webinar concurred that this inclusion is better coordinated through sustainable industrial policies that explained stakeholders’ roles.

This way, the narrative of Africa as a place of poverty could be changed to one of a developing resource rich continent. Further, the responses to the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic on jobs could be used to grow economies through stimulus packages while the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) provided an opportunity to create millions of jobs. Other factors to be included in the policymaking included climate change and Just Transition as well as adoption of technology through the Fourth Industrial Revolution’ automation and artificial intelligence.

The participants included representatives from the African Development Bank, and civil society organizations, such as the Third World Network Africa and the Labour and Economic Development Research Institute of Zimbabwe (LEDRIZ) and the Regional Network in Equity and Health in East and Southern Africa (EQUINET).

On the AfCFTA, there were calls for a shift in thinking towards a more developmental approach that avoided the disputed policies of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The meeting heard that the WTO’s trade liberalization policies did not benefit African economies.

Additionally, African economies were more integrated globally than they traded locally, and for development to take place the raw materials export dependent economic model had to be transformed. There should also be conditions on investments to protect workers’ rights and interests.

The webinar discussed that the role of trade is to integrate production and markets. For example, importing cheap tomatoes from Italy for processing plants in Ghana destroyed the local market. It was recommended that countries should remain vigilant on investment, intellectual property, and e-commerce. For instance, the proposal to the WTO by South Africa and India on Covid-19 vaccines was welcomed.

The webinar put special attention on the African Mining Vision (AMV) as an important action plan for strengthening mining and industrialization linkages along national and regional value chains. Further, mining benefited workers, communities, and broader society. However, there is need for better resource governance and respect for human and workers’ rights. To be effective, the AMV must be implemented, accountability improved, and ownership deficits resolved. Health and safety in the mines remain key and the ratification of Convention 176 on safety and health in the mines important. Recognition and support should also be given to artisanal and small-scale mining.

Valter Sanches, IndustriALL general secretary said:

“As trade unions we must put pressure on governments to use minerals to industrialize. We cannot continue to be producers of agricultural commodities, oil and gas resources, and rare minerals used for making batteries, electric vehicles, and smartphones. We have to manufacture and harness possibilities for recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The automotive sector was cited as having potential to create decent work. According to a research report by IndustriALL and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Trade Union Competence Centre for Sub Saharan Africa the sector can attract sustainable investments.

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary said:

“We will continue to engage the African Union, the AfCFTA, AfDB and civil society organizations for policy engagement on African industrialization. In this respect, unions will continue to receive support to build their capacity to engage in sustainable industrial policies. The automotive, energy, mining, and the textile, garment, shoe and leather sectors, are important for industrialization to take off.”

Webinar part one:

Webinar part two:

Unions in Ghana push African industrialization agenda

As part of the Africa Industrialization Day commemorations, IndustriALL affiliates in Ghana convened an industrialization forum on 12 November to discuss the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in promoting industrialization in the country and the African continent.

The forum, attended by 30 participants, also discussed the trade agreements that Ghana has signed with other countries including the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union.
 
On the factors impeding industrialization, the forum mentioned the Covid-19 pandemic, illicit financial flows, the exporting of primary products with no value addition, and corruption. Limited access to financial resources meant that small to medium scale enterprises did not grow. Some investments also created precarious working conditions. The uptake of manufacturing technologies and the adoption of artificial intelligence is slow. Further, trade unions were not consulted during policy formulation and implementation. For example, unions were not consulted on AfCFTA.
 
Some of the recommendations from the forum is that unions should carry out capacity building training to enhance knowledge on trade policy issues. This training is important for union engagement in industrial and trade policy processes which are key to the industrialization of Ghana and other African countries. Further, mobilization that involves awareness campaigns and advocacy on industrialization are needed to promote industrialization in the country and trade unions should prioritize the issue during social dialogue.
 
Solomon Kotei, chairperson of the Ghana IndustriALL Liaison Council said:

“Industrialization and trade policies are complementary and important for Africa to truly industrialize. Governments must make efforts towards a national industrialization agenda that includes using trade finance as a catalyst. Further, Ghana needs to ascertain its comparative advantage on locally manufactured products to counter-balance its imports. Import substitution can ignite industrialization. We also need sustainable trade policies because trade liberalization from the West hampers African industrialization.”

Kemal Ozkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary said:

“Sustainable industrial and trade policies are crucial to industrialization efforts in Ghana. This entails policies that support economic integration of regional economic communities like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the coordination of intra-African trade. Africa should also benefit from being part of global value chains as equal partners and exporting industries should provide decent work and avoid low wage models that impoverish workers.”

IndustriALL affiliates in Ghana: Industrial & Commercial Workers’ Union (ICU) Ghana, Ghana Mineworkers’ Union (GMWU), General Transport Petroleum Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU), Public Utility Workers’ Union (PUWU).

Uganda unions engage social partners on African industrialization strategies

On 10 November six IndustriALL affiliates in Uganda organized a conference that was attended by 80 participants, including key social partners, to discuss strategies for the economic development of the country and how this links to the industrialization of the continent through the integration of regional economic communities.

The unions agreed that the country’s third National Development Plan (2020-2025) is an important policy document for Uganda’s industrialization, and that unions must ensure its implementation. The plan promotes value addition in the mining, oil and gas and other sectors as well as employment creation. The unions emphasized that industrialization must bring decent jobs and that workers’ rights must be respected. The meeting also called on the country to ratify International Labour Organization Convention 190 on eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work.

Further, living wages and ending precarious work should be considered in the implementation. While investments in industrial development should also bring new skills to the workers. The government should also build more export processing zones for the textile, garment, leather, and shoe sector which can create more jobs for Ugandans along the value chain. Small to medium scale industries should also be supported.

At the meeting were Members of Parliament representing workers, government officials, business organizations, and trade union leaders. The trade union federations present were National Organization of Trade Unions (NOTU) and Central Organization of Free Trade Unions (COFTU). Civil society organizations, employer organizations, and experts also attended the conference.

The five Members of Parliament for workers promised to take the industrialization debate to parliament. Uganda’s constitution allows for the election of MPs to represent workers.

Speaking at the conference, Hajji Twaha Sempebwa, chairperson  of the IndustriALL Coordinating Council for Uganda said:

“Industrialization is key to the development of Sub Saharan African countries including Uganda as it creates opportunities for decent jobs. However, we should ensure that workers’ rights and decent work are part of the agenda. Our governments have taken great strides to ensure success, but there is still a lot to be done to overcome the challenges in implementation especially under the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary said:

“We applaud the Ugandan IndustriALL affiliates for bringing the social partners together to discuss the industrialization of Africa. Sustainable industrial policymaking should be inclusive and be done through social dialogue. Further, industrialization is important as it creates decent manufacturing jobs that will reduce the high levels of unemployment and end poverty.” 

IndustriALL affiliates in Uganda are the Uganda Textiles, Garment, Leather and Allied Workers’ Union (UTGLAWU), Uganda Hotels, Food, Tourism, Supermarkets & Allied Workers’ Union (HTS-Union), Uganda Chemical, Petroleum, and Allied Workers’ Union (UCPAWU), National Union of Clerical, Commercial, Professional and Technical Employees, (NUCCPTE), and Uganda Mines, Metal, Oil, Gas & Allied Workers’ Union (UMMOGAWU) and Uganda Printers, Paper, Polyfibre and Allied Workers’ Union (UPPPAWU).

Union launches app for organizing Kenyan metalworkers

To join the union, members must download the app on their smartphones, provide their name and identity, as well as the sector where they currently work. The app, which was launched with support from the Solidarity Centre, allows the members to pay union dues using mobile money platforms.
 
With Covid-19 regulations that restrict large face-to-face union meetings in place, using online platforms is becoming the norm for the Kenyan metalworkers, who organize workers in the automotive sector, steel and metal manufacturing and other sectors. The union is also using online campaigns to end precarious work in the sectors especially the low wages and poor benefits for contract workers.
 
The AUKMW signed memoranda of understanding in 2019 with associations of roadside mechanics who represent thousands of informal workers. The agreements allow the union to represent the informal workers and to protect their rights according to the labour laws. The informal sector provides vehicle accessories, spare parts and repairs and maintenance for mostly imported used cars from Japan, Korea, and other countries. The mobile app increases the union’s accessibility to informal workers.
 
By working with informal worker associations, the AUKMW is responding to the “decent work deficit” as described by the International Labour Conference Recommendation 204 Transition from the Informal to the formal economy. The recommendation covers freedom of association, social dialogue, role of employers and workers organizations, and minimum wages, among issues that needs to be looked at to improve the working conditions of informal workers.
 
Rose Omamo, AUKMW general secretary says:

“Organizing at the big companies is not the same as at the small workplaces. At large factories we reach the required thresholds, according to the labour laws, and sign collective bargaining agreements. But at small companies that are located far away from the cities, we have fewer members that we still need to service them and give them access to union services.

"We are also extending our services to contract workers and those working in the informal sector who often work under precarious conditions. These are the workers who will benefit most from the app.”

Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa, says:

“The pandemic is making unions innovative and providing them with an opportunity to adopt digital technologies. Recruitment, organizing, campaigns and training now happens online using devices that include smartphones and laptops. Such innovation is commendable and transforms the trade union. The AUKMW is one of the pioneers of harnessing digital technologies to build union power.”

Unions in solidarity with youth protests to stop police brutality in Nigeria

After weeks of protesting widespread abuses and gross human rights violations, including torture and killings, by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) police unite, the government of Nigeria disbanded the unit on 11 October. But this did not stop the demonstrations.

The protests have received support from Manchester United football player Idion Ighalo who posted a video on social media saying he is ‘ashamed’ of the government of Nigeria’s sending of soldiers to shoot at protestors at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos.

Tolulope Fagbamigbe, a member of the IndustriALL Sub Saharan Africa youth committee from the National Union of Chemical Footwear Rubber and Non Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE) says:

“The Nigerian youth are clamouring for their voices to be heard by the government on #EndSARS and other demands. On 20 October, the lights went off at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos when soldiers moved in with armoured trucks and opened fire on unarmed protestors, killing many people on the spot.

"The situation has been handled carelessly by the government and is boiling over. If the government wants to nip the situation in the bud they must proceed with steps towards progressive goals. If this is not done, there are fears the situation will degenerate into further chaos.”

IndustriALL Vice President, Issa Aremu said:

 “It is understandable that the current protests reflect the serial historic and contemporary atrocities by the Nigerian police. It is inspiring that the Presidential Panel on Police Reforms agreed to the five-point demand of the protestors against police brutality, namely halting the use of force against protestors and unconditional release of arrested citizens, justice for the victims of police brutality, including payment of compensation, and the psychological evaluation of police officers including increasing their salaries.”

 On employment, the situation of Nigerian youth is dire. According to the National Bureau of Statistics the unemployment rate is over 27 per cent, meaning 27.7 million youth are unemployed while the underemployment rate is over 28 per cent. Unemployment has been worsened by the closure of factories. To move to decent job creation, Aremu says unions must campaign for a “developmental state that creates decent jobs for the youth.”

IndustriALL affiliates in Nigeria are the Automobile, Boatyards, Transport, Equipment and Allied Workers Union (AUTOBATE), National Union of Chemical Footwear Rubber and Non Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), National Union of Textile Garment Tailoring Workers (NUTGTW), Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) and Steel and Engineering Workers of Nigeria (SEWUN).

Unions not consulted on Chevron Nigeria plans to lay-off 1,000 workers

The unions say Chevron’s failure to consult is part of the company’s “anti-labour practices” that are aimed at laying off 600 permanent and 400 contract workers in violation of Nigerian labour laws. Consultation would allow unions to understand why such a drastic decision was made and also gives them the opportunity to suggest alternatives to the lay-offs.

Ofolabi Olawale, NUPENG general secretary and Lumumba Okugbawa, PENGASSAN general secretary wrote in a letter to the company on 2 October:

“It is so disconcerting to receive the news that management has commenced the process to sack about 600 regular employees of Chevron Nigeria Limited without any form of engagement or discussion with the leadership of NUPENG and PENGASSAN. Such action is nothing but violation of the existing labour laws concerning disengagement of employees and a clear affront on the union and association.”

Further, the unions say Chevron has been involved in unfair labour practices that include failure to carry over leave days from 2018 into the current contracts. The company also owes workers money after excessive deductions were made to terminal benefits in 2012.

The unions propose that there should be immediate consultations on the lay-offs, that negotiations for collective bargaining agreements should begin, and that NUPENG workers who have attained new qualifications should be promoted. Stagnation of workers for 5-11 years is unfair and should be reversed. Contract workers should also be allowed to ride on the company buses and workers working from home should be given data and ergonomic allowances.

Okugbawa said: “The bone of contention is on the modalities of the exit. While the management want redundancy; the unions want the process to be voluntary. We are also not convinced about the numbers being proposed by the Chevron management. They want 25 per cent of the workers to be laid off.”

Diana Junquera Curiel, IndustriALL director of the energy industry said:

“We call upon Chevron Nigeria to engage with the unions. To build better industrial relations oil companies must consult unions on lay-offs instead of making unilateral decisions. It is important for labour practices to be fair to the workers and this can only be reached through negotiations with the unions.”

Photo: Roo Reynolds

Union federations unite in South African national strike

The national strike, on 7 October, which coincided with World Day for Decent Work, was called by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) with support from the other main federations: the Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA), the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), and the National Council of Trade Unions (NACTU).

IndustriALL Global Union’s five affiliates in South Africa belong to three of the federations. The combined membership of the federations represents millions of workers. The unions say the law should be used to deal with corruption through prosecution, and anti-corruption strategies should be put in place.

The unions wanted an end to gender-based violence and for the government to ratify Convention 190 on curbing violence and harassment at work, and to develop an implementation plan. The gender pay gap must also be closed.

On health and safety, unions want employers to comply with labour laws and not leave the burden on workers and their families.

Petitions presented by the unions called upon the government to act on preventing retrenchments of workers after over two million jobs were lost during the country’s Covid-19 lockdown which began in March. The retrenchments, which were high in sectors such as mining, added to the already high unemployment levels. According to Statistics South Africa, the expanded rate of unemployment is 42 per cent, which includes those who have given up looking for jobs.

The unions say there is an attack on collective bargaining and demand that sections of the labour laws must be amended to force employers to comply. Additionally, employers were not promoting social dialogue but are instead ignoring labour laws and existing agreements.

Joseph Montisetse, the president of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), said unions were shocked “by corruption involving the Unemployment Insurance Fund Temporary Employer/employee Relief Scheme which were meant to benefit retrenched workers and also those employers who were in financial problems because of Covid-19.” Some employers claimed Covid-19 relief funds but did not pay them out to workers and have since been arrested for fraud.

Irvin Jim, the general secretary of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) said: “Employers did not waste the crisis imposed by Covid-19 and the lockdown, which they used to attack workers’ wages by unilaterally imposing wage cuts of between 20-25 per cent without consulting with the union.” But the unions are fighting back.

As part of the national strike, the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU) picketed outside the offices of garment retailer Cape Union Mart in Johannesburg, demanding that the employer respect signed collective bargaining agreements and stop using threats and intimidation to force workers to sign new contracts that are inferior to existing ones.

André Kriel, SACTWU general secretary said: 

“The COSATU strike is significant because it is unifying. It confirms concretely that all South African workers, irrespective of union federation affiliation, are crystal clear about common core issues which they must fight in the current conjuncture: corruption in the public and private sector, job losses, attacks on collective bargaining and gender-based violence”.

IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches said:

“We are in solidarity with the millions of South African workers who are fighting for jobs, against gender-based violence, and for the protection of collective bargaining. These are issues at the core of union activities, and employers should not be allowed to destroy what the union has gained through years of struggle.”