Latest news with #UNITE
BreakingNews.ie
23-06-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Bus Éireann recorded €4.2m loss in 2024
Bus Eireann has told the Labour Court that it has made a loss of €4.2 million last year 'and was projecting similar losses for 2025'. That is according to the Labour Court which has recommended a combined pay increase of 6.75 per cent over a two-year period to the end of December 2026, along with a pay voucher of €500, for Bus Eireann's 3,200 workers. Advertisement The pay-row came before the Labour Court after the 3,200 workers represented by the NBRU, SIPTU, UNITE THE UNION, TSSA, CONNECT rejected pay proposals put forward by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) by 64 per cent to 36 per cent. The unions stated that the 3pc pay increase on offer for each year of the pay proposals was not sufficient or adequate to meet their aspirations. The unions were looking for a straight pay increase comparable with other CIE companies and one that would provide pay parity with Dublin Bus. The unions valued pay parity as requiring an increase of 12.7 per cent. Advertisement In response, Bus Éireann stated that the current pay proposal represents the very limit of what can be offered in a pay proposal and is reasonable, if not significant, in the context of what is affordable to the company. Bus Éireann told the Labour Court that they believe that in terms of the marketplace it was a very reasonable offer. Bus Éireann set out the cumulative cost of the proposal that was balloted on 'and stressed that it had made a loss of €4.2 million in 2024 and was projecting similar losses for 2025'. Bus Éireann also submitted that the proposal included other improvements to terms and conditions which were valued at 1pc of pay per year with some groups benefiting from other changes and stated that the percentage increases should not be looked at in isolation. Advertisement In its recommendation, deputy chairwoman at the Labour Court, Louise O'Reilly stated that the pay increase is made up of a 3.5 per cent and a €500 voucher effective from January 1st this year. A further pay increase of 3.25 per cent to be effective from January 1st 2026 and the €500 voucher to be payable to those employed on January 1st 2025 and remaining in employment at the date of acceptance of recommendation. Ms O'Reilly said that the pay deal is to expire on December 31st 2026 and the parties agree to engage no later than four months before the expiry of this deal to secure a successor.
The South African
17-06-2025
- Business
- The South African
Trump trouble: 20 000 jobs threatened in Lesotho textile factories
Our land-locked neighbour, Lesotho, is staring down the barrel of 50% trade tariffs from the United States. Should these go ahead, the number one export from Lesotho will cease to function, with knock-on effects for South Africa. 80% of Lesotho's clothing exports go to the US, and 20% to South Africa. Back in April 2025, US President Donald Trump introduced a 40% tariff (on top of an existing 10% for all African nations) on Lesotho. Previously, Lesotho exported duty free to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Since then, many US-based buyers have ceased ordering from Lesotho, as they weigh up imminent tariff increases. As such, existing business has run out and no new orders have been placed. In turn, this is forcing many garment factories in Lesotho to suspend production lines till further notice … LESOTHO TEXTILE FACTORIES Lesotho's clothing industry is the largest employer in the tiny kingdom which fears the impact of new sweeping US tariffs. Image: Roberta Ciuccio/AFP Popular South African brands like Jonsson Workwear take advantage of Lesotho's textile manufacturing capacity. Anyone who's purchased an item from the aforementioned will no doubt commend the quality workmanship coming from Lesotho. However, that may all change as the United Textile Employees Union (UNITE) warns of closures, reports GroundUp . UNITE says as many as 20 000 jobs are at stake if the US's 50% import tariff become a reality. A spokesperson says three-month suspensions are planned, but if there is no change by September, large-scale closures may follow. Furthermore, UNITE confirms that many garment manufacturers have not received any new orders since Trump's 50% trade tariff announcement. While South Africa is reeling from a 30% tariff slapped on it by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, spare a thought for Lesotho. Images by Alex Green/Pexels and Wikimedia Commons Sadly, for Lesotho, there is already nearly 40% youth unemployment (18-35). And with upwards of 35 000 registered jobs, textile manufacturing is still the second-largest employer in the country after public-sector work. The Prime Minister of Lesotho says, 'US Aid cuts and tariff increases have crippled industries that previously sustained thousands of jobs.' As of last month, the Lesotho textile industry is more or less surviving off South African orders only. However, with reduced operations, factory owners cannot pay rent, utilities, and wages for much longer. They are working hard to find new markets, but if they cannot, workers will have to be terminated permanently. It is understood a final decision on tariffs will be made next month, on Tuesday 8 July 2025. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
News24
13-06-2025
- Business
- News24
Mass layoffs at Lesotho garment factories as US tariffs bite
New orders have plummeted at garment factories after the threat of a 50% US tariff on Lesotho and production lines have shut down. Thousands of workers have been sent home, with factory closures expected to last at least three months. Government has yet to offer concrete support, while unions warn as many as 20 000 jobs may be at risk. For more financial news, go to the News24 Business front page. On 2 April, Jane*, a worker at Leo Garments clothing factory in Lesotho was sent home. She is one of many workers left sitting at home as Lesotho faces a potential 50% tariff hike from the United States. Until the Trump administration introduced a 10% tariff, Lesotho exported duty free to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). An additional 40% tariff was suspended, pending negotiations. But as US buyers weigh the prospect of an imminent hefty tariff, new orders have dried up, forcing many garment factories in Lesotho to suspend production lines. 'Firms that we met are planning a three-month closure, but if there's no change by September, they may pull out completely,' warns United Textile Employees Union (UNITE) secretary-general Solong Senohe. 'If the tariffs were only 10%, they say they would have no problem staying in Lesotho and their buyers would not have a problem of placing orders. Now Lesotho has a hanging 50% tariff, and no one knows when it will be enforced.' When Senohe spoke to GroundUp, he had just come from a meeting with Lesotho Precious Garments, who told him no new orders had been placed after the 50% tariff announcement. In a letter to UNITE, Precious Garments stated that it is 'facing a great shortage of orders'. Similar letters were issued last month by TZICC Clothing Manufacturers and Maseru-E-Textile, requesting meetings with UNITE over imminent layoffs. According to Senohe: 'The entire industry is affected … I recently spoke with Nien Hsing International management, and they said that by the end of July, all their American orders would be finished.' 'Eighty per cent of our clothing exports go to the US, while only 20% go to South Africa,' said Senohe. The country already faces extreme unemployment. A 2024 Lesotho Labour Force Survey found that 39% of youth aged 15 to 35 are unemployed. The garment industry had reportedly already shed 16 000 jobs between March 2018 and March 2024, but with 34 151 jobs officially, it is still the second-largest employer after the public sector. Senohe says the US tariffs have put 20 000 jobs at risk. On television on Monday, Prime Minister Samuel Matekane said US aid cuts and tariffs 'have crippled industries that previously sustained thousands of jobs'. Workers from Leo Garments, Boming Lai Teng and Precious Garments, speaking to GroundUp on condition of anonymity, say unionised workers have been the first targets for the layoffs. EFTU general secretary Tšepang Makakole said they had received reports of discrimination against union members and had approached the Ministry of Labour and the Lesotho National Development Corporation for intervention. Last week, employees at Maseru-E Textile began negotiating with management, demanding half-salaries while at home or severance pay. They had seen workers at other factories laid off without pay. Shop steward Mathuso Tlale said they became alarmed when they learned that some of the Chinese employers were selling fridges, microwaves and general household items. Maitumeleng Saoane, whose job is to record hourly production at the factory, cited a 2023 example when the owners of a factory vanished over a weekend, leaving unpaid wages. On Friday, workers held a work stoppage and eventually walked out. On Monday, they found the gates locked and police cars guarding the premises. Union leaders were allowed in to meet the factory owners. Afterwards, National Clothing Textile and Allied Workers Union secretary general Sam Mokhele told workers they would have to stay home for three months starting July. He said the employers said they had not budgeted for severance pay, but had agreed to pay those who had worked for the company for two years or more, M1 000 (R1 000) per month. Those with short service would be given their annual leave payment. South African orders Kerasemese Rantlhokoane, human resources manager at Lucky Manufacturing, who also oversees operations at Leo Garments and Hong Da, told GroundUp that all three 'cut, make, and trim' factories have been hard hit. 'We are now depending on South African orders, but if South Africa gets hit in the same way, we won't survive,' he said. He said even with reduced operations, factory owners must still pay rent, utilities, and wages. 'That's why some employers vanish or skip paying salaries for months.' He said the owner who bought Leo Garments in February last year 'is working hard to find new markets … But if it does close, workers will be paid their terminal benefits.' Chinese staff selling belongings were lower-level staff who rotate in and out, Rantlhokoane said. Deputy president of the Lesotho Textile Exporters Association Ricky Chang, who is also a director of Nien Hsing Textiles, said US importers are waiting to see if any trade agreement can be reached and at what tariff level. Nien Hsing Textiles produces Levi's jeans in Lesotho. If the full 50% tariff is implemented, Chang said, the factories will close or move to other countries. He said some factories have already planned for this and are in discussion with trade unions. 'Lesotho's textile sector will need the government to act quickly and achieve good results as soon as possible with its US counterparts.' Appeal to government In a letter on 5 May to Prime Minister Matekane, UNITE said, 'Thousands of Basotho workers are facing three months lay-off without pay'. The union called for discussions with government on how to subsidise workers to mitigate their plight. On Wednesday, union representatives met Minister of Trade Mokhethi Shelile and Minister of Labour and Employment Tšeliso Mokhosi. UNITE deputy secretary general Potloloane Monare shared a report on the meeting. The report said the ministers had held virtual meetings with US officials. 'A final decision on the tariffs will be made by July 8, 2025 … But it looks likely that a 10% tariff will be applied to all African countries.' The report said the government said it lacked the resources to provide financial support for workers sent home and would assess options. Meanwhile, thousands of workers like Jane will be sent home when factories complete existing orders. Jane can hardly pay her bills. She is weighing up immigrating to Newcastle. 'I don't want to go illegally, but I'm running out of options,' she said. She has four children to support.
Eyewitness News
13-06-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Mass lay-offs at Lesotho garment factories as US tariffs bite
On 2 April, Jane*, a worker at Leo Garments clothing factory in Lesotho was sent home. She is one of many workers left sitting at home as Lesotho faces a potential 50% tariff hike from the United States. Until the Trump administration introduced a 10% tariff, Lesotho exported duty free to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). An additional 40% tariff was suspended, pending negotiations. But as US buyers weigh the prospect of an imminent hefty tariff, new orders have dried up, forcing many garment factories in Lesotho to suspend production lines. 'Firms that we met are planning a three-month closure, but if there's no change by September, they may pull out completely,' warns United Textile Employees Union (UNITE) secretary-general Solong Senohe. 'If the tariffs were only 10%, they say they would have no problem staying in Lesotho and their buyers would not have a problem of placing orders. Now Lesotho has a hanging 50% tariff, and no one knows when it will be enforced.' When Senohe spoke to GroundUp, he had just come from a meeting with Lesotho Precious Garments, who told him no new orders had been placed after the 50% tariff announcement. In a letter to UNITE, Precious Garments stated that it is 'facing a great shortage of orders'. Similar letters were issued last month by TZICC Clothing Manufacturers and Maseru-E-Textile, requesting meetings with UNITE over imminent layoffs. According to Senohe: 'The entire industry is affected … I recently spoke with Nien Hsing International management, and they said that by the end of July, all their American orders would be finished.' '80% of our clothing exports go to the US, while only 20% go to South Africa,' said Senohe. The country already faces extreme unemployment. A 2024 Lesotho Labour Force Survey found that 39% of youth aged 15–35 are unemployed. The garment industry had reportedly already shed 16,000 jobs between March 2018 and March 2024, but with 34,151 jobs officially, it is still the second-largest employer after the public sector. Senohe says the US tariffs have put 20,000 jobs at risk. On television on Monday, Prime Minister Samuel Matekane said US aid cuts and tariffs 'have crippled industries that previously sustained thousands of jobs'. Workers from Leo Garments, Boming Lai Teng and Precious Garments, speaking to GroundUp on condition of anonymity, say unionised workers have been the first targets for the layoffs. EFTU general secretary Tšepang Makakole said they had received reports of discrimination against union members and had approached the Ministry of Labour and the Lesotho National Development Corporation for intervention. Last week, employees at Maseru-E Textile began negotiating with management, demanding half-salaries while at home or severance pay. They had seen workers at other factories laid off without pay. Shop steward Mathuso Tlale said they became alarmed when they learned that some of the Chinese employers were selling fridges, microwaves and general household items. Maitumeleng Saoane, whose job is to record hourly production at the factory, cited a 2023 example when the owners of a factory vanished over a weekend, leaving unpaid wages. On Friday, workers held a work stoppage and eventually walked out. On Monday, they found the gates locked and police cars guarding the premises. Union leaders were allowed in to meet the factory owners. Afterwards, National Clothing Textile and Allied Workers Union secretary general Sam Mokhele told workers they would have to stay home for three months starting July. He said the employers said they had not budgeted for severance pay, but had agreed to pay those who had worked for the company for two years or more, M1,000 (R1,000) per month. Those with short service would be given their annual leave payment. SOUTH AFRICAN ORDERS Kerasemese Rantlhokoane, human resources manager at Lucky Manufacturing, who also oversees operations at Leo Garments and Hong Da, told GroundUp that all three 'cut, make, and trim' factories have been hard hit. 'We are now depending on South African orders, but if South Africa gets hit in the same way, we won't survive,' he said. He said even with reduced operations, factory owners must still pay rent, utilities, and wages. 'That's why some employers vanish or skip paying salaries for months.' He said the owner who bought Leo Garments in February last year 'is working hard to find new markets … But if it does close, workers will be paid their terminal benefits.' Chinese staff selling belongings were lower-level staff who rotate in and out, Rantlhokoane said. Deputy president of the Lesotho Textile Exporters Association Ricky Chang, who is also a director of Nien Hsing Textiles, said US importers are waiting to see if any trade agreement can be reached and at what tariff level. Nien Hsing Textiles produces Levi's jeans in Lesotho. If the full 50% tariff is implemented, Chang said, the factories will close or move to other countries. He said some factories have already planned for this and are in discussion with trade unions. 'Lesotho's textile sector will need the government to act quickly and achieve good results as soon as possible with its US counterparts.' APPEAL TO GOVERNMENT In a letter on 5 May to Prime Minister Matekane, UNITE said, 'Thousands of Basotho workers are facing three months lay-off without pay'. The union called for discussions with government on how to subsidise workers to mitigate their plight. On Wednesday, union representatives met Minister of Trade Mokhethi Shelile and Minister of Labour and Employment Tšeliso Mokhosi. UNITE deputy secretary general Potloloane Monare shared a report on the meeting. The report said the ministers had held virtual meetings with US officials. 'A final decision on the tariffs will be made by July 8, 2025 … But it looks likely that a 10% tariff will be applied to all African countries.' The report said the government said it lacked the resources to provide financial support for workers sent home and would assess options. Meanwhile, thousands of workers like Jane will be sent home when factories complete existing orders. Jane can hardly pay her bills. She is weighing up immigrating to Newcastle. 'I don't want to go illegally, but I'm running out of options,' she said. She has four children to support. * not her real name This article first appeared on GroundUp. Read the original article here.
STV News
03-06-2025
- STV News
Glasgow Subway workers to strike in row over pay and working conditions
Subway workers who feel 'devalued and ignored' have voted for strike action in a dispute over pay and working conditions, a union has said. Unite said more than 100 staff employed in Glasgow's Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) subway voted by 97.5% in favour of industrial action, with a series of 24-hour stoppages planned later this month. Strikes are scheduled for June 21, 25, 27, and 28, and an overtime ban will be in place from June 13. The disruption will mean the subway system will be closed on the Punk All Dayer festival featuring the Sex Pistols, with the Sting, Simple Minds and the Stereophonics gigs being held as part of the summer sessions at Bellahouston Park. The union added that a continuous overtime ban will also be in place from June 13. The dispute comes as SPT workers claim the subway system is 'struggling' to operate due to chronic understaffing. Unite added that train drivers and station staff are 'routinely working up to ten hours' beyond contracted hours to keep the system operating without improving the shift, overtime, and weekend allowances. 'Unite members are repeatedly called in to work shifts at short notice, leading to significant work-life pressures,' a spokesperson for the union said. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: 'Unite's Glasgow subway members feel totally devalued and ignored. We will not tolerate our members being exhausted and underpaid. The subway system is running on empty. 'SPT has had every opportunity to resolve the chronic issues that have resulted in this dispute but have chosen not to act.' Andrew Brown, Unite industrial officer, said: 'The strike action will cause major disruption across the subway system, but this is entirely the fault of SPT's management, which has continuously ignored the workers' concerns about being overstretched and understaffed.' Unite warned that unless there are improvements to the working conditions of the SPT members, then strike action could escalate over the summer months. SPT director of transport operations Richard Robinson said: 'We have been notified by the UNITE the Union that it intends to ask its members to strike on June 21, 25, 27 and 28. 'SPT is currently looking at what this means for services on those days. While we are disappointed that UNITE has chosen to take this action while we are still in active discussions, SPT remains committed to working with UNITE to resolve all issues as we plan for future working arrangements for the Subway.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
