Members of the COSATU-affiliated Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU) in the clothing sector will start to receive their new wage increase for 2023 as from today. This wage increase is as a result of a two-year clothing sector collective agreement which was concluded last year. The two-year agreement contained the following provision for the 2023 wage increase:

• “…a further wage increase of Consumer Price Index  (CPI) plus 1% in Year 2, effective from 1 September 2023; provided that if the CPI plus 1% increase is less than the rand value of the wage increase received in 2022, the wage increase will be the rand value of the increase received in 2022..”
  
  In February next year, clothing workers in the non-metro areas of our industry will also receive an improvement in retirement funding. This is because the collective agreement stipulates as follows:
• “…  a further 0.25% increase in employer provident fund prescribed contribution rates, effective from 1 February 2024..”.

The collective agreement was concluded with employers represented by the Apparel and Textile Association of South Africa (ATASA), the South African Apparel Association ((SAAA), and the South African Clothing Manufacturers’ Association (SACMA), under the auspices of the National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Manufacturing industry.

SACTWU’s clothing sector members will receive the same rand value increase as what they had received in 2022. This is about a 6.54% increase, effective as from 1 September 2023. Workers in the industry will receive their increase for this year in their wages as from today, given the working week payment arrangements applicable in our domestic clothing industry. Approximately 60 000 clothing workers in South Africa will benefit from this wage increase.