The implementation date of the National Minimum Wage Act kicks on Tuesday, January 1st. The law makes provision for workers to be paid a minimum wage of R20 per hour.
Farmworkers will receive R18 per hour, while domestic workers will get a minimum wage of R15 per hour.
Our Parliamentary Correspondent, Mercedes Besent, spoke to some of the workers about the implementation of the Act.
David Thambisa has been a petrol attendant for more than 11 years. He earns just under R5 000 per month. Thambisa says while the minimum wage of over R3 500 per month is not enough, it is a good starting point for lowly paid workers.
“Mostly people that are working in these shops, like Shoprite and all those shops, most of them they get less or exactly that R3,500. That would be good if the government can put it at around R4, 500.”
Another petrol attendant, Tonderai Mathanga, who has been in the job for two years welcomes the minimum wage.
“I think it’s a very good thing. I think it’s gonna help the lives of the people. People can’t afford a lot of things. Now, if they get a bit more, that can also raise their standard of living as well.”
Workers in the cleaning service have mixed feelings about the minimum wage.
“It’s too small. It should start at least at four thousand per month.”
During a debate on the legislation in the National Assembly in June 2018, Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant described the National Minimum Wage Bill as a milestone and the direct response to the Freedom Charter which called for a minimum wage in 1955.
“This bill seeks to improve the lives of the lowest paid workers in the labour market and carries the promise of addressing the inequality challenge in South Africa and by extension poverty. The bill established the National Minimum Wage Commission, – the statutory wage minimum level and the exemption for those who cannot afford. The National Minimum Wage will take over the functions of the current Employment Commission. The commission will also recommend annual adjustment to the level of the National Minimum Wage and review it on a regular basis in order to take into account the impact of employment on the level of poverty and inequality.”
Labour Committee Chairperson, Lemias Mashile has called on employers to comply with the legislation and unions to ensure that the affected workers rights are protected.
“We hope that this National Minimum Wage is going to improve the wages of all the vulnerable workers. And we, therefore, call upon all the unions to really inform themselves of the provisions of this Act as well as the regulations to assist in the interpretation of the minimum wage in order for them to continue and protect the rights of the workers.
“And we do call upon all the employers that are affected by this National Minimum Wage to really comply with the requirements of the Act in terms of the provisions that seek to improve the social relations at the workplace as well as socio-economic relations at the workplace. We do hope that the implementation of this Act will bring harmony and improvement of these relations at the workplace,” Mashile explained.
