Not all cheers about new minimum wage

President Cyril Ramaphosa said in Kliptown, Soweto, yesterday that the national minimum wage will have to be paid to workers from the beginning of January.

Under the new law, employers will have to pay their staff a minimum wage of R20 an hour with the exception of sectors such as the farm/forestry, domestic and expanded public works programme workers, that have been given a longer transition period to pay R18, R15 and R11 per hour respectively.

“No worker may be paid below the national minimum wage,” Ramaphosa said, addeding it would help to deal with some of South Africa’s challenges and create part of social contract for the future of work.

Consensus on the minimum wage was reached by stakeholders under the auspices of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) and has been set at R20 an hour.

The presidency said Ramaphosa had elected to conduct the proclamation in a ceremonial setting in order to affirm the centrality of collaboration and consensus among social partners to the resolution of challenges facing the country.

“Kliptown has been selected for this engagement for its place in South Africa’s liberation history as the site of the adoption of the Freedom Charter, which six decades ago called for a minimum wage as part of protection for vulnerable workers,” it said.

The national minimum wage represented a marked increase in income for more than 6 million workers – or 47% of South Africa’s labour force – and was subject to future adjustments in terms of the National Minimum Wage Act, it added.

Ramaphosa signed the law two weeks ago alongside the Basic Conditions of Employment Amendment Bill and Labour Relations Amendment Bill which were negotiated by Nedlac at the same time.

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), however, earlier rejected the signing into law of the National Minimum Wage Bill.

“The minimum wage bill will legalise the poverty wage of R20 per hour. This is an insult to the working class who fought and died to defeat the apartheid government,” said Numsa national spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola.

The minimum wage bill will legalise the poverty wage of R20 per hour. Phakamile Hlubi-Majola Numsa national spokesperson