The country's footwear sector remains at a standstill as a protected wage strike enters its second week on Monday.
The workers are being represented by the National Union of Leather and Allied Workers, which is affiliated to the Federation of Unions of South Africa, Fedusa and the Cosatu union, Sactwu.
Nulaw general secretary, Ashley Benjamin, said the union would also file complaints with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate and the SA Police Service to investigate the conduct of employer representative's following clashes with police in Kwazulu Natal and Port Elizabeth.
Benjamin is on a whirlwind tour of the Garden Route and Eastern Cape on Monday to show support for the striking workers.
"The constitutional rights of workers in this country must be protected, a number of employers some who are members of the South African Footwear and Leather Industries Association have approached us to conclude plant level agreements with them but we cannot do that. How can we destroy collective bargaining and the 90th-year-old Leather Industry Bargaining Council? It's not an option," said Benjamin.
"We are calling on the employers to engage with the unions in order to find a solution to the ongoing wage strike. Both N.U.L.A.W and Southern African Clothing and Textiles Workers Union members are participating in the national strike".
The unions have rejected the employer's wage offer of 6.25%. They are demanding 9.5% across the board.
"We are quite happy to negotiate to find common ground," he said.
