The Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) has warned individuals that they will be required to pay the National Minimum Wage (NMW) to their workers. This includes domestic workers, which a recent SweepSouth survey found were still being underpaid in South Africa.
Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi said the department will also be conducting daily inspections to clamp down on employers not paying their domestic work workers the NMW.
Here Are The Minimum Wages In South Africa
- Every general worker’s minimum wage is R23.19c per hour
- Domestic Workers minimum wage is R23.19c per hour
- Farm Workers minimum wage is R22.19 per hour
- Workers employed in expanded works programmes minimum wage is R12.75 per hour
Nxesi says the department will use several strategies to ensure workers are compensated fairly in South Africa. This includes an extensive awareness campaign which included seminars, radio interviews and television interviews.
They explained that domestic workers are isolated in their work environments which could lead to exploitation.
The Department will not necessarily take punitive action against employers who do not pay the NMW but will rather aim to educate them. This education centres on acceptable labour practice in South Africa including registering workers for the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and the compensation fund.
“We want to take corrective measures. We sit with the employers, we try to guide them, we show them their mistakes, we show them what are the basic things which they are supposed to do and we give them time to do that,” said Nxesi.
The DEL will then revisit employers to check their compliance. However, if employers are found to be non-compliant, the department will exercise punitive measures.
