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The Department of Employment and Labour has announced a significant change to the scope of the Bargaining Council for the Furniture Manufacturing Industry in KwaZulu-Natal. Effective 9 October 2025, the Council’s jurisdiction has been expanded to cover a broader range of activities within the furniture manufacturing sector.

The revised scope now includes the furniture, bedding, upholstery, and curtain manufacturing industry, encompassing:

• Furniture manufacturing: All processes involved in producing furniture, including cutting, assembling, veneering, laminating, polishing, and repairing. This applies to items such as cupboards, tables, chairs, counters, and built-in units.
• Bedding: The manufacture of mattresses, spring units, pillows, and studio couches.
• Upholstery: Upholstering and re-upholstering of all types of furniture and bedding.
• Curtain making: The production, alteration, and fitting of curtains and related accessories.
• Cane furniture: Manufacturing furniture primarily from wicker, cane, or grass.
• Ancillary items: Wooden components used in building finishes, such as mouldings, skirting boards, doors, and frames.

Metal furniture and items made entirely from plastic remain excluded from the scope.

This variation has several implications:

• Employers: Businesses operating in any of the newly included categories must now comply with the Bargaining Council’s agreements, including wage determinations and employment conditions.
• Employees: Workers in these sectors gain access to collective bargaining protections, dispute resolution mechanisms, and benefits negotiated by the Council.
• Industry compliance: Companies outside the previous scope but now included will need to register with the Council and align with its regulatory framework.

The agreement applies to all employers and employees engaged in the defined activities within the province of KwaZulu-Natal. This includes factories, workshops, and any premises where the listed manufacturing processes occur.