Workers have raised their concerns in public forums once more, citing low wages in the form of piece rates (the amount of money a worker earns per clothing item sewn), the hiring of illegal immigrant workers to the exclusion of locals, and the safety conditions in these factories.
After a November 2022 six day inspection of the factories, Department of Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi commented, “The clothing and textile factories of Newcastle have developed a reputation for employing illegal foreign works and allegedly subjecting workers to working conditions resembling what is termed ‘modern day slavery’.”
To learn more about the industry and the conditions that the workers are subjected to, the Newcastle Advertiser spoke to Alex Lui of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Mrs C Sun, a factory employer and Nkosinathi Ntanda of Umnotho Wabantu ku Bantu workers union who proclaims to be speaking on behalf of the workers in the factories.
For the full article, pick up a copy of the upcoming edition of the Newcastle Advertiser.
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