Although the sector is beginning to stabilise, it has struggled to compete with cheap Chinese clothing imports over the past couple of years, resulting in significant job losses.
Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (Sactwu) general secretary Andre Kriel said that recent data compiled by Productivity SA showed that between 2005 and 2010, labour productivity for the sector had increased by 73%, far outstripping the 54% growth in real earnings over the same period. Apparel Manufacturers of SA (Amsa) director Johann Baard said, however, that the research was not "valid", accusing Sactwu of "conflating worker productivity with multifactor sector manufacturing output. The two are very different concepts."
Baard said clothing workers in SA were the highest paid in Africa, adding that local workers were also paid more than those in mainland China and India - the sector's biggest competitors. However, Sactwu's Kriel said it was not a surprise that employers had reacted "so defensively". "It is amazing how [Amsa] now dismiss what is good news for the industry [...] when all key indicators [...] clearly show that the clothing sector is in much better shape now than it has been for many years," he said.
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