LEADING KIDS' CLOTHING RETAILER SIGNS DECLARATION ON
CLOTHING INDUSTRY
25 February 2004
Keedo International, a manufacturer and retailer of children´s
clothing, has signed the 'buy local´ agreement reached between the
Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers´ Union (SACTWU) and a
large number of retailers.
Keedo signing this agreement dovetails perfectly with its
Proudly South African membership. It was one of the first clothing
retailers to join the Proudly South African campaign in 2002.
In signing this agreement, Keedo International joins other
retailers such as Woolworths, Pick 'n Pay, Edcon, Foschini, Pepkor,
Shoprite-Checkers, Truworths, LA Group, Queenspark and Cape Union
Mart who have already signed the agreement.
Keedo opened its first store in 1993. It now has stores in Cape
Town, Johannesburg, Durban and George. Outside South Africa, it has
stores in Switzerland and the United States, as well as
distributors in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Ebrahim Patel, general secretary of SACTWU, describes Keedo
International as "an example of local procurement that many other
retailers would do well to emulate. SACTWU looks forward to working
with Keedo to promote quality South African manufacture."
SACTWU believes that the "buy-local" agreement will help to stop
the severe job losses currently being seen in the clothing, textile
and footwear sectors. In 2003 alone, more than 20 000 jobs were
lost in these sectors through factory closures retrenchments and
liquidations.
Background
In August last year, SACTWU launched a section 77 notice against
retailers at Nedlac. For the next few months, Nedlac facilitated
negotiations between SACTWU and leading retailers, to persuade them
to source more of their clothing, textiles and leather goods
locally. An agreement was reached in December 2003, when many
retailers agreed to increase their local sourcing, to only source
from manufacturing companies which comply with minimum legal
conditions of employment and to include a label on all garments
that will indicate the country in which the garments were
manufactured.
Enquiries: SACTWU: 021 447 4570
Nedlac: Jennifer Wilson, 011 328 4211