Earlier this week labour minister Thulas Nxesi declared that SA’s national minimum wage will rise by 9.6%, going up from R23.19 per hour to R25,42 per hour from 1 March 2023.
According to Business Insider, R25.42 per hour will be the minimum income rate for nearly all employees, including domestic workers and farm workers, with the exception of employees of the government’s expanded public works system. These persons may be paid as little as R13.97 per hour, chalking up to just over half (55%) of the minimum wage.
A full-time domestic worker, working 8 hours a day for an average of 20 days per month, must be paid more than R4000 according to the new minimum-wage laws.
After SA faced a national inflation rate of 6.9% over the last year to January, the raise in minimum wage will set workers who are earning minimum wage in better standing against the cost of living.
Additionally, the new minimum wage excludes allowances paid to workers to do their jobs. For example, transport, food and other benefits on the job will not be deducted from a worker’s minimum wage salary.
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