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Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997 (Act No. 75 of 1997)

Sectoral Determinations

Sectoral Determination 4 : Clothing and Knitting Sector, South Africa

1. Definitions

1.1 Definitions of the occupations, capacities and duties of Employees in the Clothing Division and Knitting Division

(a) Definitions of the occupations, capacities and duties of employees in the Clothing Division only

 

"Category A Employee"

means an employee engaged in any one or more of the following duties or capacities in the clothing division:

(1) assistant storeperson;
(2) automatic hydraulic hat presser;
(3) belt person;
(4) boiler attendant;
(5) cardboard box maker;
(6) cleaner;
(7) coat turner;
(8) covering buckles by hand or machine and/or trimming and cleaning belts after lining and belt have been machined together;
(9) cutter of traveller’s swatches;
(10) despatch packer,
(11) eyelet punching and letting;
(12) general worker
(13) guiding material with paper through automatic pleating machine;
(14) hat sprayer;
(15) ironer of fusible interlinings with hand iron positioning and spot fusing of fusible interlinings with special machine;
(16) layer by hand;
(17) layer by machine;
(18) marker;
(19) operator;
(20) packer;
(21) patent turner (hand or machine);
(22) pinner;
(23) plain sewer;
(24) putting fasteners on caps;
(25) putting material between two paper looms (formers) and preparing for steambox in hand or loom pleating process;
(26) putting prepared formers in steam box and taking them out again in hand or loom pleating;
(27) riveting buckles, bending belt buckles, punching holes for buckles and prongs, pressing prongs into buckles, stapling buckles onto belt;
(28) rubberising, i.e. waterproofing processes or the work of smearing rubber solution upon seams or edges and rolling them over with a small wooden hand roller, cleaning off any rubber solution, painting seams or oilskins and waterproof hats;
(29) sorter;
(30) spreading of P V C (plastic solution) in waterproofing process or on raincoats and protective wear;
(31) stamper;
(32) raking material out of looms in hand or loom pleating process;
(33) waterproofing seams;
(34) winder;
(35) under-presser.

 

"assistant storeperson"

means an employee other than a labourer who, under the supervision of a storeperson, assists in issuing or receiving goods;

 

"automatic hydraulic hat presser"

means an employee operating an automatic hydraulic hat press used solely for shaping hats;

 

"belt person"

means an employee other than a learner mechanic, engaged in fixing machine belts, oiling bearings, filling oil cans and similar work and assisting the establishment’s mechanic;

 

"boiler attendant"

means an employee under the supervision of a foreperson or factory manager, who is responsible for maintaining the water level and steam pressure of a boiler in an establishment, and who may stoke, rake, slice and draw the fire in such boiler;

 

"cardboard box maker"

means an employee engaged in operating a cardboard box making machine;

 

"cleaner"

means an employee engaged in cutting or trimming off loose ends of cotton left in the garments by previous operators;

 

"coat-turner"

means an employee engaged in turning coat facings out after machining;

 

"despatch packer"

means an employee who, under the supervision of a foreperson or clerical employee, is wholly or mainly engaged in making up orders and in packing goods for transport, including the sealing of cellophane bags by hand or machine, or delivering in connection with the despatch department of an establishment;

 

"general worker"

means an employee who is engaged in one or more of the following occupations:

(a) binding, wiring or strapping boxes or bales or other containers;
(b) carrying or stacking goods;
(c) delivering letters or messages or light parcels within the factory premises;
(d) folding or inserting mail, affixing postage stamps or labels for posting;
(e) general gardening work;
(f) loading or unloading vehicles, trailers or international standard containers;
(g) making and serving tea or similar beverages and washing crockery, cutlery and kitchen utensils;
(h) marking, stencilling or affixing labels on boxes, bales or other containers by hand;
(i) mixing rubber solution for rubberised garments;
(j) mopping or washing of toilet facilities;
(k) operating a duplicating or addressograph or franking machine;
(l) sweeping with a broom or dusting and wiping down chairs and tables;

(m)        washing or polishing of floors and staircases by machine or by hand.

 

"hat sprayer"

means an employee engaged in spray painting hats,

 

"ironer"

means an employee engaged in the ironing of fusible interlinings with hand iron positioning and spot fusing of fusible interlinings with special machine;

 

"layer by hand"

means an employee engaged in laying up materials by hand preparatory to cutting;

 

"layer by machine"

means an employee engaged in laying materials by machine preparatory to culling;

 

"marker"

means an employee engaged in marking the position of pockets, buttons and/or button holes;

 

"operator"

means an employee who operates a—

(a) hand operated button-covering machine;
(b) a shrinking press;
(c) a semi-automatic or automatic fusing machine;
(d) semi-automatic. press stud-machine; or
(e) zip machine.

 

"packer"

means an employee engaged in packing garments into boxes or other suitable wrappings or tying them into bundles prior to their being sent to the dispatch department;

 

"patent turner"

means an employee engaged in turning out or over the edges of collars, facings, bands, cuffs, pockets or flaps whether by hand or machine;

 

"pinner"

means an employee engaged in pinning unfinished or finished garments;

 

"plain sewer"

means an employee engaged solely in performing by hand one or more of the following operations: tacking permanent turn-ups; tacking waistband linings; sewing on hooks and eyes, tickets or press studs; fastening catch in tops of trousers; sewing on buttons; making and sewing on hangers; felling crutch linings in trousers, felling bottoms and waist-band linings, and various odds and ends of sewing; felling necks of vests; fastening edge stays and odds and ends of sewing; felling bottoms of linings or seams of same already basted into position; felling bindings; fastening facings inside already basted in position;

 

"sorter"

means an employee engaged in sorting out garments or parts of garments for the various operations;

 

"stamper"

means an employee engaged in stamping the size or identity work numbers on garments or parts of garments, or on any article connected with packaging or despatching of garments;

 

"winder"

means an employee engaged in the winding or unwinding of lace, embroidery, braids, ribbons, bindings and elastic;

 

"under-presser"

means an employee other than a presser employed in pressing processes.

 

"Category B Employee"

means an employee engaged in one or more but not limited to the following duties or capacities in the clothing division:

(1) baster;
(2) clicker;
(3) conveyor feeder;
(4) cutter;
(5) examiner;
(6) factory clerk;
(7) finisher by hand;
(8) fitter-up;
(9) folder;
(10) lay copier;
(11) machinist;
(12) maker of bows for dresses;
(13) operator of automatic lace, embroidery or monogramming machine;
(14) presser;
(15) seam welder;
(16) seller of automatic pleating machines;
(17) shaper;
(18) sloper.

 

"baster"

means an employee engaged in hand sewing in setting a coat or parts of a coat into position preparatory to other operations or underbasting, i.e. hand sewing of linings of coats into position preparatory to sewing the edge seams;

 

"clicker"

means an employee who cuts out parts of garments from dyes using a mechanical or hydraulic press;

 

"conveyor feeder"

means an employee responsible for feeding prepared parts of garments on to a conveyor for further operations and who may be assisted by one or more sorters;

 

"cutter"

means an employee who cuts out all articles of wearing apparel, linings, trimmings or interlinings by any method;

 

"examiner"

means an employee who examines finished garments for quality;

 

"finisher by hand"

means an employee who performs one or more of the following operations by hand:—

(a) putting pads or wadding into shoulders of coats;
(b) fastening or serging sleeve-heads;
(c) wadding sleeve-heads;
(d) felling silk facings already basted into position;
(e) making button-holes by hand;
(f) felling sleeve-head linings, holding such in position with the fingers;
(g) beader or embroiderer by hand.

 

"fitter-up"

means an employee who takes the outside of garments together with the cut out linings (called trimmings) and adjusts the outside and insides together accurately so that parts may go forward to the machine to be put together correctly;

 

"folder"

means an employee engaged in the folding of garments by machine or by hand and buttoning up of garments;

 

"lay copier"

means an employee engaged in placing of numbered patterns on a lay to conform with a numbered photograph, diagram or plan;

 

"machinist"

means an employee who performs by sewing machine any operation in the making of clothing;

 

"presser"

means an employee employed in pressing the finished garment by hand or machine;

 

"seam welder"

means an employee who joins seams by any method other than by a thread-sewing machine;

 

"setter of automatic pleating machines"

means an employee engaged in setting of pleats on automatic pleating machines;

 

"shaper"

means an employee engaged in shaping the lapels and collars of coats preparatory to under basting;

 

"sloper"

means an employee engaged in marking or trimming the shape of the necks in the shirt section, preparatory to other operations.