Saflia has four management committee meetings per year and one annual general meeting.
Industrial Relations
One of the key functions of SAFLIA revolves around Industrial Relations. This comprises interaction with the National Bargaining Council for the Leather Industries (NBCLI) of South Africa and the Labour Union representatives National Union of Leather & Allied Workers (NULAW) & South African Clothing & Textiles Workers Union (SACTWU).
Trade Policy
Country of Origin Labelling was originally incorporated under the Merchandise Marks Act.
CoOL is compulsory in South Africa in terms of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA). Which superceded and incorporated the former merchandise marks Act. This includes footwear made in South Africa, as well as footwear that is imported. For further information refer to the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) www.gov.za
Industrial Strategy
Government’s strategic development of the industry culminated in the development of the Customised Sector Programme (CSP), which was approved in 2008. Footwear and Leather Goods Sector Development Strategy 2008, one of the main programmes is the establishment of Regional Clusters and a National Cluster.
Training
SAFLIA does not participate directly in training. This is normally done in-house by the manufacturers’. SAFLIA is involved however in representing the industry on various Fibre Processing & Manufacturing (FP&M) SETA Committees. www.fpmseta.org.za SAFLIA Representation on the FP&M Seta Committees.
Government Incentives
The government primarily the Department of Trade & Industry (dti) provide a range of incentives for industry. The most significant one for the footwear sector is the Clothing & Textile Competitive Improvement Programme (CTCIP), which provides for Clustering and a Production Incentive, which is linked to value added.
SAFLIA is formally registered with the Department of Labour as a national employer organisation in terms of the Labour Relations Act. The Constitution makes provision for three separate sections, viz. Footwear Manufacturing Section, Supplier Section and the Tanning Section.