The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) says although it welcomes the increase of the minimum wage which comes into effect today, it will not make a significant difference.
Last month, the Employment and Labour Minister, Thulas Nxesi, announced a new National Minimum Wage determination from R25,42 to R27,58.
The wage includes the vulnerable sectors of farm workers and the domestic workers, whom since 2022 have aligned with the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates.
Saftu General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi says, “We’ve been running a campaign against what we call a slavery National Minimum Wage that is not going to make a significant contribution in closing massive income inequalities in South Africa.”
“Secondly, that is not going to address the levels of poverty amongst the workers themselves. A phenomenon that we call the working poor phenomenon, where workers go to work but they remain poor,” adds Vavi.
Below is the full interview
