Historic National Minimum Wage Act to come into effect as of January 2019
Announcement was made in Kliptown.
On Friday, 7 December, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in Kliptown, Soweto that the historic National Minimum Wage Act 9 of 2018 will come into effect as of 1 January 2019.
The minimum wage has been set at R20 per hour (about R3 500 a month), R18 per hour for farm workers and R15 per hour for domestic workers.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Labour, Lemias Mashile, welcomed the announcement of the implementation date in a statement released later the same day.
Also Read:
https://www.citizen.co.za/roodepoort-record/2015/12/03/pay-your-domestic-worker-more/
In the statement, Mashile wrote, “The National Minimum Wage is one of the [pieces of] legacy legislation considered by the committee and passed by both houses of Parliament during its fifth term. The committee reiterates its view that while the minimum wage is a reasonable beginning, much more effort should be placed on reaching the desired living wage.
“The implementation of the minimum wage is another step in closing the huge inequality that is prevalent in the country. The committee is of the view that the minimum wage will improve the lives of many families that have been earning less and will contribute to stimulating the economy as a result of increased participation by many in the country.
“The committee calls on employers to take note and make plans to implement the minimum wage. Furthermore, the committee calls on the Department of Labour to put in place monitoring mechanisms to ensure adherence to the minimum wage.
“The committee remains of the view that a happy labour market is essential if the country is to grow economically. This is important if the country is to succeed in fighting the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality,” Mashile concluded.
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