The Minister of Labour Mildred Oliphant announced that domestic workers are to get a wage increase between 8 to 10 per cent, depending on the hours and areas in which they work. The wage hike will take effect from 1 December, and continue until the end of November next year, when it will be reviewed.
Department of Labour spokesperson Mokgadi Pela said that in terms of the domestic sectoral determination, an employee who works more than 27 hours in Area A should not be paid less than an hourly rate of R11.44, while an employee who works less than 27 hours should be paid not less than an hourly rate of R13.39. An employee who works more than 27 hours in Area B should not be paid less than R10.23 per hour, and an employee who works less than 27 hours should not be paid less than R12.07 per hour. “If employees and employers need further clarification they can call us or visit our website for more information,” Pela said.
A domestic worker from Honeydew said that she welcomed the pay hike, citing that the money that she earned was used to buy food and that now that the increase will take effect soon, she will have some extra money for other things. She explained that she did not have a full time job as she preferred to do piece work as she was able to earn more that way.
“I cannot work under one employer because then my salary will be capped at a certain amount and things are tough enough already. I have a nine-year-old son to support,” she explained.
The domestic worker added that her wages vary depending on where she works. It varies from R150 to R250 per day, which enabled her to earn around R5 000 monthly. She pointed out that the greatest problem that she experiences is working late, which she said happens often and leads to her arriving home late. She added that she used around R1 400 a month for transport to get to and from work.
Department of Labour details: 011 223 1000/01.
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