Pay minimum wage – warning

The labour department yesterday, urged industries that were paying below the proposed national minimum wage (NMW) to “up their game”.

Stephen Rathai, director of employment standards at the department, said all sectoral determinations paying below the R20 per hour as proposed by NMW would cease in terms of wages when the latter comes into law.

“The NMW has proposed that the farming and forestry [sector] should pay R18 per hour, the domestic sector R15 per hour, and the expanded public works programme R11 an hour,” Rathai said.

Kekulu Pali from the employment standards said exemptions would be granted if the authority was satisfied that the employer could not afford to pay the minimum wage, every representative trade union had been consulted and a copy of the application provided to the bargaining council, union or affected workers. – ANA