Peter Blond & Associates, a Cape Town based clothing manufacturing company, has announced last week that it intends to grow its current employment levels by 100 new jobs (25% growth) by the 23rd of December this year.
The announcement was made by company CEO, Mr Eckhardt Oeltz. Peter Blond currently employs just under 400 workers. This is the first major new employment growth announced in the clothing sector in any metro area, for many years. The announcement follows closely on the signature of a groundbreaking new agreement between the Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers' Union (SACTWU) and clothing employers.
The agreement was signed under the auspices of the national bargaining council for the clothing industry. This agreement provides, for the first time, for a lower entry wage rate for new employees in the industry, while protecting the existing wage levels and consequential employment security of all currently employed workers.
As part of this agreement, clothing employers have committed to grow employment in compliant companies in the industry by 15% by March 2014. This is expected to result in at least 5000 new jobs in the industry over the next two and a half years, growing at a rate of at least 3% once every six months until then.
Currently employed clothing workers will receive a wage increases of between 6.5% in metro areas and 9.2% in non-metro areas, back-dated to 1st September this year (the date when the increases were due).
SACTWU has welcomed the Peter Blond new employment growth announcement and expects further once to follow.
Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers' Union (SACTWU)
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