The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) says it is ready to hold marches in several cities and towns around the country on Wednesday, as workers protest against the minimum wage.
Saftu is calling on all workers across the country to reject the proposed R 20 per hour minimum wage.
It says it will stop at nothing to ensure that workers’ demands are met.
General-Secretary of one of the union’s affiliates, Irvin Jim says they will bring the country to a complete halt.
“As unions we have been defending centralized bargaining. We have been resisting two clear labour markets. The national minimum wage will give more ammunition to the bosses to continue to embark on downward variation.”
Meanwhile, the National Union of metal workers of South Africa is calling on all its members to support the Saftu strike against the minimum wage.
While, rival labour federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions has slammed the strike.
Minimum Wage App
The National Minimum Wage Act, 2017 is set to be implemented in May 2018. However, according to the Department of Labour, the process could be delayed by one or two months.
SABC Digital News and OpenUp (formerly Code for South Africa) has partnered to develop a Minimum Wage App that will give answers to the question: “Can South Africans survive on R3 500?”
Where does the information come from?
OpenUp has used the following data sources:
- Stats SA “Poverty Trends in South Africa” report
- Pietermaritzburg Agency for Community Social Action (PACSA) “Food Price Barometer“
- Stats SA “Income and Expenditure of Households Survey”
How is it calculated?
The money available for food is calculated by subtracting the money used for other expenses from household income. It could be said that it comes after these expenses, though they are actually in conjunction with each other.
