Finance

You will have to pay your domestic worker more from December 2016

Staff Writer

 ·7 Nov 2016

The Department of Labour has announced an increase in the minimum wage for domestic workers across South Africa, which will kick in from 1 December 2016.

The department announced that in terms of Sectoral Determination 1: the minimum wages will be adjusted upwards for employees in Area A and Area B.

Area A refers to large metropolitan municipalities and built up areas and suburbs – Area B is all other municipalities. The full list can be found on the department’s website.

According to the department, ‘domestic workers’ include housekeepers, gardeners, nannies, and domestic drivers, among others.

The new wages are as follows:

Domestic workers who work 27 ordinary hours a week or more

Domestic workers who work less than 27 ordinary hours a week

The rates are applicable to 30 November 2017.

Minimum wages are a highly contentious topic in South Africa, with much debate around the potential introduction of a national minimum wage across the board.

Minimum wages are currently determined by sector, negotiated by bargaining councils and unions. However, it has been argued that current minimum wages in many sectors – including domestic workers and farm workers – are far below a living wage.

According to research done by Wits university, a bare minimum ‘living wage’ in South Africa would be around R4,500 a month – where workers would be able to afford food and housing.

Other proposals from groups such as Pacsa have argued that a minimum wage would have to be closer to R8,000 per month (for a family of 5) to give workers the means to live a dignified life.

Various groups are pinning a minimum wage at between R4,000 and R6,000 – while economists argue against having a minimum wage at all, as such a level would lead to wide spread job losses, damaging the economy.

More on wages

These are the jobs that pay the highest minimum wages in South Africa

Panel to advise on SA minimum wage appointed