The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union said that over 3000 people took part in the march on Friday(26 August 2011) against poverty wages.
According to Sactwu, the march brought Newcastle to a standstill.
"The workers have handed memoranda to the Newcastle Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Manufacturing Industry," the union said in a statement.
The memoranda calls on:
• all Newcastle clothing factories to become part of the phase-in program of the bargaining council which is aimed at ensuring compliance with the legal minimum wage and will result in many workers' wages increasing;
• Newcastle employers to stop claiming that workers are prepared to accept poverty wages and to stop pretending that workers support their non-compliance with the laws of South Africa;
• Newcastle employers to stop refusing to give workers weekly payslips as stipulated in South African law. Without payslips workers cannot produce evidence of a weekly income and so cannot buy goods on credit and cannot provide evidence of UIF contributions if they lose their job and want to claim unemployment benefits;
• the United Clothing and Textile Association (UCTA) to withdraw its case against the Minister of Labour for extending the wage agreement to vulnerable clothing workers across South Africa and
• the bargaining council to ensure Newcastle employers pay the legal minimum wage, maternity leave and overtime.
"The workers are determined to intensify their fight for a living wage and job protection," Sactwu added
"The workers have handed memoranda to the Newcastle Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Manufacturing Industry," the union said in a statement.
The memoranda calls on:
• all Newcastle clothing factories to become part of the phase-in program of the bargaining council which is aimed at ensuring compliance with the legal minimum wage and will result in many workers' wages increasing;
• Newcastle employers to stop claiming that workers are prepared to accept poverty wages and to stop pretending that workers support their non-compliance with the laws of South Africa;
• Newcastle employers to stop refusing to give workers weekly payslips as stipulated in South African law. Without payslips workers cannot produce evidence of a weekly income and so cannot buy goods on credit and cannot provide evidence of UIF contributions if they lose their job and want to claim unemployment benefits;
• the United Clothing and Textile Association (UCTA) to withdraw its case against the Minister of Labour for extending the wage agreement to vulnerable clothing workers across South Africa and
• the bargaining council to ensure Newcastle employers pay the legal minimum wage, maternity leave and overtime.
"The workers are determined to intensify their fight for a living wage and job protection," Sactwu added
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