Wage negotiations: NULAW accepts General Goods and Tanning offers, SACTWU has still to respond

Gerald Naidoo, General Secretary/Principal Officer, National Bargaining Council of the Leather Industry of SA

General Goods and Handbag Sector:
The second round of wage negotiations took place in Cape Town on 03 and 04 May 2023. The Employer Organisation has made the below offer of settlement to the NULAW & SACTWU.

1)      Wage Increase: An increase of 7% on all prescribed operations with effect from 1 July 2023.

   2)      Family Responsibility Leave: Family Responsibility Leave will be increased by one day’s unpaid leave, effective from 1 July 2023.

NULAW has accepted the employer’s offer of settlement whilst SACTWU has indicated that they would need to consult their members before providing an official response to the settlement offer. SACTWU has not responded to the Employer’s offer as yet.

Tanning Sector:
SATEO has made a final offer of settlement to SACTWU & NULAW as follows:
1)      Wage Increase: A wage increase of 7.25% on all prescribed operations with effect from 1 July 2023.

2)      Learners: The provisions for learners in Schedule 1 shall be amended as follows:
Learner-ship shall apply to employees employed on Bands A1, A2, B, C and E in Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
The period of learner-ship shall be reduced by six months with the removal of the Second Six months of experience. (learners shall earn 80% of the prescribed rate pay for the first six months of experience and thereafter earn the qualified rate of pay for the operation performed).

3)      Family Responsibility Leave: The scope of Family Responsibility Leave will be broadened to include “when the employee’s biological grandparent is sick”
NULAW accepted the employers’ offer while SACTWU will revert by 25 May.

Footwear
The second round of the Footwear Sector wage negotiation will take place in Durban on 16th & 17th May 2023.