Johannesburg - The lowering of the minimum wage in the clothing and textile industry can serve as a model to other industries, the SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) said on Monday.
"The agreement to lower the minimum wage by 30% within the clothing and textile industry is a model that can be implemented to increase South Africa's competitiveness and employment creation," Sacci president Chose Choeu said in a statement.
Last week, textile industry employers and the Apparel Manufacturers of SA, under the umbrella of the SA Clothing and Textile Workers' Union, signed a deal to offer 30% lower wages to new employees.
Choeu invited other industries to "seriously consider the brave example of the clothing and textile industry when tackling the significant problem of unemployment in South Africa". He said the agreement not only saved jobs, but had already led to the creation of new jobs.
"The almost immediate announcement by Cape Town-based manufacturer Peter Blond & Associates that they will increase their workforce by 25% thanks to the agreement indicates that the South African manufacturing industry is eager to expand its workforce, given the right conditions."
Choeu said the agreement "clearly shows a relatively quick and red tape-free method of creating jobs".
The agreement could lead to the creation of 5 000 new jobs within the next three years, Business Day reported last week. In the past decade, the industry had lost 50 000 jobs as the sector struggled to compete with cheap Chinese imports, according to the report.
