The COSATU-affiliated Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU) has called off its four week protected wage strike at SAKPRO, a bag manufacturing company located in White River in Nelspruit in our Mpumalanga Province.
SACTWU and SAKPRO management engaged in three rounds of plant level wage negotiations, earlier this year. Unfortunately, these negotiations deadlocked, and mediation processes facilitated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation & Arbitration (CCMA) could also not yield a settlement.
SACTWU then conducted a strike ballot, in which 79.7 per cent of its members voted in favour of strike action. They accordingly embarked on a protected wage strike, with effect from 9 September 2021. This strike caused a complete but orderly shutdown of the factory’s operations. The strike finally yielded an acceptable settlement on October 01, 2021.
In terms of the final settlement, SACTWU members will receive a 6 per cent wage increase, back-dated to 1 July 2021. In addition, they will also receive a 5.3 per cent increase in their monthly transport allowance.
