The new collective agreement was concluded under the auspices of the National Textile Bargaining Council (NTBC) with employers represented by the South African Home Textiles Manufacturers Employers' Organisation, SACTWU said in a media release.

The negotiations were conducted virtually, due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The collective agreement is backdated to July 1, 2021 and is effective for a 12-month period until June 30, 2022.

In addition, the collective agreement contains a new industry provision which guarantees full payment by the employer for the first 2 hours in the event of unforeseen circumstances such as tornados, load shedding, fires, storms, floods and water cuts.

Fresh negotiations for this textile sub-sector will be conducted early next year, for new wage increases to become effective from July 1, 2022, when the current agreement expires.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)