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The Citizen reports that on 1 March, the national minimum wage for domestic workers will increase to R19,09 per hour, namely 22.6% more than their current minimum wage of R15,57. But, this will still be less than the general minimum wage of R21,69 per hour.
A domestic worker who works fulltime presently earns a minimum of monthly wage of R2,709, which will increase to R3,321,66 on 1 March. Meantime, the Department of Employment and Labour expects that domestic workers will be fully aligned with the broader national minimum wage when the latter is next reviewed. The precarious financial position of domestic workers was demonstrated by the results of the third annual SweepSouth ‘Report on Pay and Working Conditions for Domestic Work in South Africa’, that was made public in September last year. The survey showed a significant increase in the cost of living for domestic workers during the pandemic, with total average monthly basic expenses increasing by 34% to R4,225 per month. The number of people who depend on the income of domestic workers also increased, with 17% of the respondents having five financial dependents and more than 20% with six or more. According to the report, the establishment of a national minimum wage was a notable achievement, but evidently this was becoming increasingly inadequate to cover even the bare minimum of household expenditure, forcing many families to take on uncontrollable debt.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ina Opperman at The Citizen
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page