ANA reports that the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (Sactwu) said on Monday that a strike was looming in the footwear manufacturing sector over a wage increase dispute.  

The union’s general secretary Andre Kriel said they were in dispute with the Southern African Footwear and Leather Industries Association (Saflia) after failing to reach a wage settlement following two rounds of negotiations and a conciliation meeting on 28 June.  Kriel indicated that the union had rejected the association's offer of a 6.25% wage increase for this year, against labour's demand for 9.5%.  "Negotiations have now finally deadlocked.  We have now written to Saflia and all other footwear employers to inform them that we will commence with a strike ballot of our members, during the course of this week," Kriel stated.

• This short report is at eNCA
• See too, Sactwu strike looming in the footwear industry, at Business Report
• Read Sactwu’s press statement at Cosatu News

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