#SACTWU

[miningthearchive]

Spring Queen, Staging of the Glittering Proletariat

“The Spring Queen pageant is one of the largest and longest standing pageants in history. It is a unique annual event in which female factory workers from the clothing and textile industry in the Western Cape take to the ramp and model. They showcase not only beauty, but also personality and style. The pageant began in the late 1970s and was at its height in the late 1980s. Even though its apotheosis may have waned, it remains a highlight on the Cape Town social calendar. There are up to 10 000 excited and jubilant supporters attending the final event which is hosted by the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU) at the Good Hope Centre in Cape Town. Spring Queen fever begins around June/July each year. Thousands of women participate in in-house factory pageants. A factory Queen is then chosen along with a first and second princess. The factory Queens represent their factories and participate in the semi finals held at the SACTWU hall at its head offices in Salt River. The women who make it through the semi finals, anything between 40 and 60 women, go on to compete in the grand affair that is the SACTWU Spring Queen competition held in November. The coveted title of the SACTWU Spring Queen, the Queen of Queens, is awarded, along with a first and second Princess, as well as a Miss Personality and a Miss Best Dressed.” (From Sequins, Self and Struggle website).

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The CCA’s Archive comprises documentation on the exhibition itself, featuring gowns and of photographs of the Spring Queen winners from the past years; a Spring Queen Documentary that Premiered at Encounters South African International Documentary Festival 2014; an interview of Dr Siona O’Connell who curated the exhibition; and press coverage. All of these elements speak to the camaraderie, pride, craftsmanship and celebration of these women factory workers.

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In Dr O’Connell’s interview, she frames the exhibition’s ultimate aim to pay homage to women factory workers. Spring Queen is a way of honouring these workers, who have been overlooked in many ways, and inviting them to join UCT’s academic setting; she says “This project is for us to rethink what it means for an academic institution to engage with the ordinary, what does it mean to partner with people out there, not merely to use them as academic subjects or as an informant”.

In my view, the exhibition accomplishes what the curatorial statement sets out: it is an exhibition for these women, and representing these women. Their work and achievements are highlighted in an academic setting; the exhibition is an occasion to focus attention on and celebrate their humanity, beauty and creativity. As Dr O’Connell says, the pageant makes the participants feel like they could do anything in the world. It is a snapshot of their moment in the sun, and the exhibition aims to showcase their time in the spotlight.

Through my response, I am acknowledging the exhibitions’ aims and what it does - it’s meant to be fun and lighthearted; it is a place to acknowledge overlooked individuals, to celebrate them and the cathartic aspect of the Spring Queen show.

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By using the “yes, and” technique of improv - acknowledging, understanding and building on what has been done - I would like to reflect on the exhibition’s tougher underlying questions. This exhibition doesn’t present a hard-hitting dive into the context in which the Spring Queen pageant was born; it doesn’t dwell on the strikes, the unions, the workers' conditions, the underlying problematic foundations of beauty pageants and fashion shows, and how these translate in their work today.

These tough questions are present only on a surface level, because they don’t speak to the ultimate curatorial aims of this project. Dr O’Connell acknowledged this, by saying that she hoped this exhibition would raise questions and perhaps be a starting point for discussion and dialogue around these issues.

I would like take this opportunity to build on Dr O’Connell’s aims, to open the discussion to larger issues, in the hope of connecting to a broader audience than that of the original Spring Queen exhibition, and involving people who might not understand the implications and intricacies of working in the textile and clothing industry today, and the role that we, as consumers, indirectly play in it.

I began thinking about how to transmit more serious or educational information to people who aren’t necessarily prepared to hear it - who are expecting to engage with light-hearted content and feel-good narratives and don’t want to think about more difficult truths. I decided to use the format of a quiz, which is seen as a fun, lighthearted way of learning, and has become a big part of socialising under lockdown in many places; it speaks to popular culture in this moment.

The quiz format allows us to ask questions about the harder issues at hand (touching on labourer’s working conditions and wages, union rights, local manufacturers in South Africa, and the darker side of the fashion and textile industry, etc) and involve the participant in a more hands-on approach. With the quiz comes the notion of “winning���, which is itself a nod to the nature of the Spring Queen pageant, where one individual is crowned a winner.

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Spring Queen speaks to us about the people who make our clothes. As consumers of fashion, we should learn more about the lives of the people we are impacting though our consumer choices and actions.

Click here to see if you’re a winner.

/

Curated by Lucie Panis-Jones

/

Image Reference: Spring Queen pageant, ca 1995. Photo courtesy of the Centre for Curating the Archive and the SACTWU (South African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union) archive.

[ibuchu]

Apparently, @zara and @h&m are not getting any love💔💔💔 from the organised labour of south African clothing and textile workers #sactwu 😕😕😕😕😕 #h&m #zara #fashion ⠀ Www.Butterrbelle.com for more

[africaprimenews]

South Africa: COVID-19 Vaccine Coverage Among Clothing, Textile Workers Nears 80% Coverage – Official

South Africa: COVID-19 Vaccine Coverage Among Clothing, Textile Workers Nears 80% Coverage – Official

By Monday Ocheja Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU) says it is excited that a large number of its members are taking the COVID-19 vaccination in line with the union’s set target coverage. “We are pleased with this progress, which brings us within reach of the 80% vaccination rate which our Framework Agreement sets as a target for our industry,” a statement by General…

[textilenewsworld]

SACTWU secures 5.9% wage hike for South Africa’s home textiles sector

from Free Textile News - Textiles RSS XML Feeds - Fibre2fashion.com https://ift.tt/3AsnZ0m via Yuichun

[thefashionagent]

@twygmag ・・・ LISTEN IN! We’re hosting a webinar on Zoom 🌿♻️🌿 “Growing and greening South Africa’s fashion industry” ♻️🌿♻️ In conversation with industry experts, editor of Twyg @jackiemay_sa will find out how to build a clothing and textile industry that ensures both job creation and the sustainability of planet and people. ♻️🌿♻️ Join us: • Makale Ngwenya @sactwu Researcher at the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union • Annette Pringle-Kölsch @annettepringlekoelsch : Managing member and founder of The Fashion Agent @thefashionagent • Dimakatso Moji: Department of Trade, Industry and Competition • Mikael Hanan: Founder and CEO of FIELDS @thefieldsstore @mikaelhanan • Anissa Mpungwe: Founder and designer of Loin Cloth and Ashes @loinclothandashes ♻️🌿♻️ When: Wednesday 21 April Time: 4pm – 5pm (SAT) Where: Zoom (link in bio) ♻️🌿♻️ https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88363487636?pwd=OWplOERpMEhqc1A2VHJ2MUJXNUx4UT09 Meeting ID: 883 6348 7636 Passcode: 263539 🌿♻️🌿 #JustTransition#fashion #sustainablefashion #sustainability #sustainableliving #fastfashion #slowfashion #secondhand #vintage #secondhandfashion #secondhandclothes #recycle #upcycle #upcycledclothing #regenerativefashion #whomademyclothes #fashionbrand #SouthAfrica #rememberwhomadethem #ethicalfashion #workersrights #fashionbrand #thefashionagent #madeinafrica https://www.instagram.com/p/CN5oNTKDy-Q/?igshid=yvsub59pjq2a

[meagangrady]

How major brands and retailers are responding to questions about their handling of the crisis and impacts on suppliers and supply chain workers:

UK retailer Primark announced it would create a fund to pay its supply chain workers. But questions still remain over whether the brand will be receiving and paying for orders already made or in-production from its factories, including covering the costs of raw materials that factories have paid for in advance to manufacture their orders not yet in production.

H&M, Target, Marks & Spencer, Inditex, Kiabi, and PVH have all publicly confirmed that they intend to receive and pay for products already made and orders already placed, but in some cases, no time frame has been outlined on when payments will be made – keeping in mind the urgency of the crisis and its catastrophic impact on workers unfolding already.

Brands that have yet to respond to calls asking them to #PayUP include C&A, Mothercare, Bestseller, Tesco, Kohls, Walmart, LPP, JCPenney, among others. At the time of writing, we cannot confirm whether these brands have paid for completed and in-production orders. However, they have not publicly responded when called on to make payments in a report by the Global Center for Workers’ Rights.

UK retailer New Look has sent a letter to its suppliers cancelling in-production orders and suggesting payments would be delayed “indefinitely”. The retailer told suppliers, “This is a matter of survival”. Yet, like many brands in crisis, the fight for survival often doesn’t extend to supply chain workers or stakeholders not directly employed by the big brands.

UK Charity, Traidcraft Exchange has published a report outlining the governmental responses required by garment producing countries to support workers. They argue how the consequences of COVID-19 unveil a fashion system already reliant on widespread exploitation and an imbalance of power between big brands and developing economies. The report notes, “Thissupply-side model has not been compatible with the establishment of deep and wide social protection coverage. Instead, [producing] countries have, under pressure from financial institutions, followed a race to the bottom through wage suppression, deregulation and privatisation. Faced with the collapse of orders combined with the effect of the COVID-19 virus, these countries are all ill-equipped to provide support to the increasing numbers of sick people, workers at risk of exposure and families without income.”

IndustriALL Global Union , has urged signatories of its living wage coalition, ACT, to pay for all already-placed orders. The organisation also notes, “The government of Bangladesh will make available 50 billion Bangladeshi Taka (US$581,000) late April. However, this will be enough to pay workers’ wages for one month and it is a loan, which the employers have to pay back with 2 per cent interest.”

In South Africa, SACTWU (The South African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union) entered into a collective agreement with the National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Manufacturing Industry to ensure that workers receive 100% of their salaries during South Africa’s lockdown.

In Myanmar, thousands of garment workers have marched in protest of mass layoffs. The workers are asking not for a compensation package or due severance, but demand that the factories keep them on payroll.

After the entire country of India was put on lockdown, it became clear that mass starvation may surpass the threat of Coronavirus as migrant workers are unable to return to town and villages with public transportation halted, many are left homeless in city centres. And with supplies still needed for hospitals, some factories still remain open, subjecting their workers to potential infection at the expense of urgently needed medical goods.

In Tamil Nadu, where some 40,000 factories and mills operate, dormitory style living conditions will make social distancing near impossible. Experts warn that factory closures will reinforce the crowded surroundings, as lack of shift work means all lodgers are cramped into rooms at once.

A video has circulated on Instagram showing what looks like a garment sweatshop manufacturing face masks in extreme unhygienic conditions. With many clothing brands having offered up their supply chains to fill a shortage of face masks, this horrible image isn’t just startling due to the unsanitary conditions in which these life-saving masks are being made – it’s a reminder that the fashion industry continues to operate in exploitative conditions, with little transparency.

Fashion Revolution: The impact of Covid 19 on people making our clothes

[cosmotread-blog]

Sactwu: Stimulus plan has potential to create jobs, stabilise industry

New Post has been published on https://www.cosmotread.com/2018/09/22/sactwu-stimulus-plan-has-potential-to-create-jobs-stabilise-industry/

Sactwu: Stimulus plan has potential to create jobs, stabilise industry

Sactwu: Stimulus plan has potential to create jobs, stabilise industry, At a briefing in Pretoria, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced measures to help ignite investor confidence and prevent job losses. ,...

[tendanimakhesaposts]

The Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers Union Bursary South Africa 2018 – 2019

  ABOUT THE BURSARY PROVIDER

The Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU) was established in September 1989, and today are the largest trade union for the textile, clothing, footwear and leather industry.

SACTWU also manage the largest bursary fund in the trade union throughout the country. The bursary fund was initiated in 1975 and is awarded to members and their dependents.

[artsvark]

CTIJF Free Community Concert for jazz fans

Greenmarket Square will come alive to the sounds of the very best Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) artists at 17h00 on Wednesday 29 March 2017.

CTIJF Free Community Concert

The annual Free Community Concert, set in the heart of Cape Town, welcomes music fans from near and far to enjoy an incredible showcase of performing artists from this year’s CTIJF line-up.

This year, the festival has curated an outstanding line-up to entertain and unite Cape Town’s public, featuring the “real funky divas” RnB sensation En Vogue (USA), local afro-pop heroes Mango Groove (SA), SAMA-winning reedman Moreira Chonguiça (MOZ), 2017 espYoungLegends winner VuDu (SA), SACTWU talent winner Danielle Jacobs (SA) and the CTIJF Sustainable Training & Development All Star Band.

Crowds will gather to dance, sing and reminisce to the headline performance by RnB group En Vogue, who will transport fans back to the 90’s with their soulful, up-tempo hits, and give them a taste of what the “real funky divas” have been working on with their upcoming album Electric Café.

Fan favourites Mango Groove, with the soaring vocals of Claire Johnston, and the classic African pennywhistle that forms their big band ‘Marabi-Pop’ sound, will get the Greenmarket Square audience moving to their uniquely infectious groove, with their classic hits and exciting on-stage presence.

Festival Bookings:Limited Day Passes for the Cape Town International Jazz Festival are available at www.computicket.com or at the following link: http://bit.ly/2fuzXOO

For corporate hospitality packages, contact Samantha on 021 671 0506 or email hospitality@espafrika.com

Follow CTIJF on social media and use the official hashtag to share your CTIJF story:

Official Free Concert 2017 hashtag: #FreeConcert2017

Official hashtag: #CTIJF2017

Facebook: facebook.com/CTJazzFest

Twitter: twitter.com/CTJazzFest

Instagram: Instagram.com/capetownjazzfest

Follow espAfrika for exclusive news, competitions and updates:

Facebook: facebook.com/espafrika

Twitter: twitter.com/espafrika

Instagram: Instagram.com/espafrika

For real jazz fans, the adventurous musical identity of Matol-born, SAMA-winning reedman, composer, producer and ethnomusicologist Moreira Chonguiça will captivate Cape Town. Playing many styles from places such as Mozambique, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Congo in a mixture of different genres with a bit of hip hop, funk, and contemporary, Moreira lets his ancestors talk through him to connect with everyone willing to hear.

“Because the CTIJF is firmly rooted in sustaining the future of the music industry in South Africa, and promoting the arts and culture movement, we have included the brilliantly talented VuDu, winner of the second annual espYoungLegends competition, in the line-up for this year’s Free Community Concert, as well as a young band and a fledgling solo performer, all of whom will entertain and give us a glimpse as to what audiences can expect in the future of South African music,” said CTIJF Festival Director, Billy Domingo.

VuDu will certainly live up to Domingo’s expectations and that of the crowds. The nu-jazz collective from Port Elizabeth, was formed to play straight-ahead jazz standards but has evolved into an outfit specialising in the fusion of traditional and African jazz with urban contemporary genres.

The young performer who will take the stage for her first live concert is Danielle Jacobs the winner of the annual Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union’s talent competition, while the band to round off the line-up, is the carefully selected group of young performers from the CTIJF Sustainable Training & Development Music and Career workshops, dubbed the All Star Band.

Sponsors of the 18th Cape Town International Jazz Festival Free Community Concert include: Department of Arts and Culture, Independent Media, National Lottery, South Atlantic Arts & Culture Trust, City of Cape Town, Coca Cola, Cape Town Central Improvement District.

  CTIJF Free Community Concert for jazz fans was originally published on Artsvark

[thefashionagent]

@twygmag ・・・ LISTEN IN! We’re hosting a webinar on Zoom 🌿♻️🌿 “Growing and greening South Africa’s fashion industry” ♻️🌿♻️ In conversation with industry experts, editor of Twyg @jackiemay_sa will find out how to build a clothing and textile industry that ensures both job creation and the sustainability of planet and people. ♻️🌿♻️ Join us: • Makale Ngwenya @sactwu Researcher at the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union • Annette Pringle-Kölsch @annettepringlekoelsch : Managing member and founder of The Fashion Agent @thefashionagent • Dimakatso Moji: Department of Trade, Industry and Competition • Mikael Hanan: Founder and CEO of FIELDS @thefieldsstore @mikaelhanan • Anissa Mpungwe: Founder and designer of Loin Cloth and Ashes @loinclothandashes ♻️🌿♻️ When: Wednesday 21 April Time: 4pm – 5pm (SAT) Where: Zoom (link in bio) ♻️🌿♻️ https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88363487636?pwd=OWplOERpMEhqc1A2VHJ2MUJXNUx4UT09 Meeting ID: 883 6348 7636 Passcode: 263539 🌿♻️🌿 #JustTransition#fashion #sustainablefashion #sustainability #sustainableliving #fastfashion #slowfashion #secondhand #vintage #secondhandfashion #secondhandclothes #recycle #upcycle #upcycledclothing #regenerativefashion #whomademyclothes #fashionbrand #SouthAfrica #rememberwhomadethem #ethicalfashion #workersrights #fashionbrand #thefashionagent #africanfashion https://www.instagram.com/p/CN5oHdID53m/?igshid=szwydazuk1nk

[thefashionagent]

@twygmag ・・・ LISTEN IN! We’re hosting a webinar on Zoom 🌿♻️🌿 “Growing and greening South Africa’s fashion industry” ♻️🌿♻️ In conversation with industry experts, editor of Twyg @jackiemay_sa will find out how to build a clothing and textile industry that ensures both job creation and the sustainability of planet and people. ♻️🌿♻️ Join us: • Makale Ngwenya @sactwu Researcher at the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union • Annette Pringle-Kölsch @annettepringlekoelsch : Managing member and founder of The Fashion Agent @thefashionagent • Dimakatso Moji: Department of Trade, Industry and Competition • Mikael Hanan: Founder and CEO of FIELDS @thefieldsstore @mikaelhanan • Anissa Mpungwe: Founder and designer of Loin Cloth and Ashes @loinclothandashes ♻️🌿♻️ When: Wednesday 21 April Time: 4pm – 5pm (SAT) Where: Zoom (link in bio) ♻️🌿♻️ https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88363487636?pwd=OWplOERpMEhqc1A2VHJ2MUJXNUx4UT09 Meeting ID: 883 6348 7636 Passcode: 263539 🌿♻️🌿 #JustTransition#fashion #sustainablefashion #sustainability #sustainableliving #fastfashion #slowfashion #secondhand #vintage #secondhandfashion #secondhandclothes #recycle #upcycle #upcycledclothing #regenerativefashion #whomademyclothes #fashionbrand #SouthAfrica #rememberwhomadethem #ethicalfashion #workersrights #fashionbrand #thefashionagent #africanfashion https://www.instagram.com/p/CN5n-S2jdRS/?igshid=p2arnfzf1wp1

[textilenewsworld]

South Africa's SACTWU welcomes BRICS Summit declaration

from Free Textile News - Textiles RSS XML Feeds - Fibre2fashion.com https://ift.tt/2QpXFQR via Yuichun

[textilenewsworld]

S Africa's SACTWU welcomes signing of R-CTFL masterplan

from Free Textile News - Textiles RSS XML Feeds - Fibre2fashion.com https://ift.tt/2X45jBT via Yuichun