By Lungile Ntimba
The new National Minimum Wage will be R28.79 per hour, which is 4.4% increase, according to Employment and Labour Department Minister Nomakhosazana Meth.
It kicks in on 1 March, and covers all workers, including vulnerable groups like farm workers and domestic workers.
The department explained that this was the new baseline across all sectors, but did point out a handful of exceptions.
Workers employed through the Expanded Public Works Programme were only entitled to a minimum wage increase of R15,83 per hour.
Additionally, it does not apply to members of the SA National Defence Force, the National Intelligence Agency and the SA Secret Service.
The amount also excludes the payment of allowances such as transport, tools, food, accommodation, board, tips, bonuses and gifts among others.
Ddepartment spokesperson Teboho Thejane, emphasised that the updated minimum wage was the minimum an employer could legally pay its employees, and no one should earn below that minimum wage.
Meth said the department aimed to demonstrate transparency and fairness by ensuring that workers received their rightful compensation without being exploited for their services.
“We are committed to the implementation of social protection initiatives and wage increases, such as the introduction and implementation of the National Minimum Wage, as this ensures that workers receive their dues and are not exploited for the services they render,” Meth said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Congress of SA Trade Unions welcomed the increase, highlighting the progress made since the NMW’s inception in 2019, when it was R20 per hour.
The federation emphasised that the NMW has significantly improved the wages of domestic and farm workers, who previously earned as little as R6 per hour.
Despite the improvement, the federation emphasised that engagements with the Presidency, Treasury and government departments needed to be accelerated to ensure community and EPWP workers earned the NMW.
“It is unacceptable such workers remain pegged at 55% of the NMW. This must now come to an end,” Cosatu said.
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