Panel to advise on SA minimum wage appointed

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a seven-person panel to advise on an appropriate level at which the national minimum wage can be set.

He appointed the panel in his capacity as Chairperson of the Committee of Principals of the National Economic Development Council (Nedlac).

“The appointment of the advisors takes place against the background of consensus among Nedlac social partners to introduce a national minimum wage as part of efforts to restore the dignity of the majority of South Africans; address the triple challenge of poverty, underdevelopment and inequality, and reduce pay differentials while maximising job creation,” the Presidency said.

The Nedlac Committee of Principals comprises representatives of government, labour, business and community charged with, among others, determining the national minimum wage.

During his State of the Nation Address in 2014, President Jacob Zuma called on Nedlac social partners, under the leadership of Deputy President Ramaphosa, to address low wages, wage inequalities and national minimum wage, violent and protracted strikes.

Deputy President Ramaphosa, in consultation with Nedlac social partners, appointed the following persons to a Panel of Advisors to assist Nedlac in setting the level of the national minimum wage, taking into account work done thus far by Nedlac technical task-teams:

• Prof Imraan Valodia (Chairperson): part-time member of the Competition Tribunal and a Commissioner on the Employment Conditions Commission;
• Ms. Mamokete Lijane, Aluwani Capital Partners macro strategist responsible for macro-economic and fixed income strategy and asset allocation;
• Dr. Debbie Collier, associate professor in the Department of Commercial Law at the University of Cape Town;
• Prof. Murray Leibbrandt, Pro Vice-Chancellor: Poverty and Inequality, University of Cape Town;
• Mr. Ayabonga Cawe, Economic Justice Manager, OXFAM South Africa
• Dr. Siphokazi Koyana, Skills Development and Training Expert with local and international experience
• Dr. Patrick Belser (international expert), senior economist at the International Labour Organisation.

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