The COSATU-affiliated Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU) has now also settled its wage dispute in the leather tanning sector.

The signature processes for the written wage agreement for this new tanning settlement was completed earlier this week.

This new collective agreement for the leather tanning sector is effective from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 .

It provides for a wage increase of 7.25%.

This new leather tanning sector 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 South African Tanning Employers Organisation (SATEO).

In addition to the wage increases, this leather tanning agreement also provides for the following improvements:

•            An increase in the agency shop fee

•            The alignment of the Family Responsibility Leave provisions in the Main Agreement for the leather tanning sector  to the Basic Conditions of Employment (BCEA) provisions.

The settlement was achieved after 3 negotiation rounds which commenced on 12 April 2022, followed by 2 dispute conciliation meetings.

We had declared a wage dispute against the leather tanning employers on the 22 June this year.

Two formal dispute conciliation meetings were held on the 23 June and the 4 July 2022 respectively, where an agreement was finally concluded.

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

Our members in this sector will receive the first wage increase payments today,  backdated to 1 July 2022.

This settlement covers approximately 2500 leather tanning sector workers nationally, in 24 factories.

Issued by SACTWU

Andre Kriel
SACTWU
General Secretary

If further comment is required please contact SACTWU’s National Sector Co-ordinator for the  tanning sector, SACTWU’s Gauteng Provincial Secretary,  Mr Glen Leshabane, on cell number 081 467 8283