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Textile workers take on Formosa over chemicals

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MASERU – WORKERS at Formosa Textile Company (Pty) Ltd, a denim manufacturer, want a special law to protect them from chemicals used at the factory. The workers told Labour Minister Keketso Rantšo at a march on Monday that the current law does not adequately protect them against workplace hazards. They said there were working with dangerous chemicals and machinery at the denim mill but they are treated as normal textile factories. Formosa manufactures denim, the fabric used to make jeans.

Owned by the Nien Hsing Group, Formosa is one of the biggest denim mills in Africa, producing 1.3 million yarn of denim fabric per month and 900 tons of cotton yarn per year. Nearly 900 people work at the mill. The workers told the minister that they work under “life threatening conditions”. They said they want new regulations that will distinguish them from other textile workers because their level of exposure to toxic substances differs. They also want to have a minimum wage significantly higher than that of other textile workers. The Independent Democratic Unions of Lesotho (IDUL) organiser, ’Mei Rathakane, said the majority of workers in this company are members of the United Textiles Employees (UNITE), which he said has been fighting for a long time for these changes.

Rathakane said since UNITE has collective bargaining power at the firm, it stands a better chance to negotiate for the changes with the employer, “especially because the Labour Code gives them that authority”. UNITE’s Secretary General, Qamaka Ntšene, said for years it has not been clear how Formosa should be treated under the Labour Code. He said Formosa should be treated like “Lesotho Flour Mills because it uses big machinery which can be harmful to the workers’ health to an extent that one can lose his or her life”.

“This means wages for Formosa workers can be categorised exactly the way the Wages Board categorises wages for Lesotho Flour Mills,” Ntšene said. “The kind of chemicals used in the company should be thoroughly checked because some of them may be prohibited in the factories due to their toxicity.” Ntšene said Formosa workers are correct to complain that their category is not stated in the gazette and their salaries are not stipulated. Labour Minister Rantšo said she has invited trade unions to discuss how to improve workers’ welfare. Rantšo said it is only through concerted efforts of labour unions that government, employers, buyers and all other stakeholders can solve problems in the sector.

In her speech at the Workers Day commemoration on Monday, Rantšo said the unions should collaborate if they want to wring concessions from the employers. Rantšo said the labour movement is too fragmented to make any impact in negotiations with employers. She said this is one of the main reasons why the unions have failed to push for a better minimum wage. The unions, she said, were not fighting in the same corner. “Come together and reach a consensus on the minimum wage, something that will be agreed upon coming from you in one, strong voice,” Rantšo said.

Rantšo also said a gazette on new minimum wages will be published before the end of this week. “It is high time we stopped accusing each other, let’s rather admit when we are wrong,” Rantšo said. She also announced that the ministry has hired two more lawyers to help workers with their labour cases. She also promised that parliament will soon debate reforms to paid maternity leave and pensions in the private sector.

Tokase Mphutlane

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