With 2% at stake, Western Cape clothing workers are to make history by striking for higher wages, writes Rehana Rossouw
The clothing workers’ strike is their first in the Western Cape for higher wages. Although there have been work stoppages over the years, never before has there been a co-ordinated strike by the overwhelming majority of workers in Western Cape clothing factories demanding more wages. At stake is 2%. They want 10%, and their employers are offering 8%.
Salt River station services some of the biggest clothing factories in Cape Town and is usually teeming with weekday commuters. “This time tomorrow, this place will be empty,” predicted clothing worker Maria Fortuin with some satisfaction.
On Wednesday afternoon, clothing workers were easy to identify as they streamed on to the platforms. They clutched pamphlets issued by South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (Sactwu) and the word “strike” was on their lips.
On Thursday morning, about 40 000 clothing workers in the Western Cape formed the backbone of the national strike of 80 000 Sactwu members.
Fortuin, a machinist for 19 years and employed by clothing giant Rex Trueform, said her family was her motivation for going on strike for the first time in her working life.
“I’m doing it for my children. Who knows, one day they may end up in a clothing factory and I don’t want them to ask me why I did nothing about the peanuts we earn,” she said.
“I have my pride, you can only trample it for so long before I say I’ve had enough.”
Fortuin earns R293 a week. Her labourer husband is unemployed and she is the sole supporter of a household which includes four school-going children.
“R293 doesn’t go very far when you have to pay the rent, the electricity and buy food and clothes for children. At least I have a husband who works whenever he can find something. There are hundreds of women at Rex Trueform who are single parents or support their parents. How are they expected to live decent lives?”
Fortuin said she was not afraid of threats by employers to lock out the strikers and withhold their wages at the end of the week. “I am striking for my rights and there’s nothing in the world that can stop me.”
Work had come to a standstill on Wednesday already at Rex Trueform when workers were angered by posters put up in the factory by management telling them the strike would hurt the economy.
“The posters were only up for a few minutes when they were torn down. The bosses don’t care about the economy, all they care about is their good lives and having enough money to send their children to expensive schools and on holiday every year,” Fortuin said.
“We struggle just to keep our children in school so that they don’t end up on the factory floor like their parents. We can forget about fancy holidays at the end of the year, we’re too worried about the school uniforms that must be bought for the next year.”
Sactwu does not have a strike fund for its members, but this does not deter Fortuin. She was using the last of her weekly train ticket to travel to union meetings on Thursday and Friday and wasn’t sure if she would have money to attend next week.
“We get by on so little, I’m sure we’ll get by on nothing at all. People in the community are fantastic. They started collecting food for us last week already, so at least my children won’t go hungry. I’m on strike until the bosses give in and pay us a decent wage.”
This is the first ever legal strike in the history of the clothing industry in the Western Cape. Until 1987, workers were represented by the Garment Workers Union, a “sweetheart union” which never once called for a wage strike.
Sactwu representative Andre Kriel said the union was not surprised by the 83% support for the strike ballot in the Western Cape as workers had previously responded well to stayaway calls in support of national demands.
“Before the ballot was held, we were well aware of the determination of our members to improve their wages. We had about 400 factory meetings in the run- up to the ballot and every one of them was packed like never before,” said Kriel.
“Our members are very determined to stay out until they have won their demands. There seems to be very little fear of a lengthy strike.”
The strike comes at a time when the South African clothing industry is facing fierce competition to match lower prices offered by foreign imports. National Employers’ Caucus of the Clothing Industry representative Johann Baard said this had prompted many employers to adopt “survival strategies” and they could not afford to offer more than an 8% increase.
Baard said employers reserved the right to lock out strikers as this was still permitted in terms of the Labour Relations Act. Many employers have indicated they would lock out strikers.
He also warned that thousands of workers could lose their jobs as a result of the strike, which would cost the already struggling industry R15,6-million a day. The strike would also “tarnish” efforts to promote more investment in South Africa.