Unions scoff at one percent raise for domestic workers

The increase will raise the hourly minimum rate for domestic workers who work more than 27 hours a week, from R8.95 to R9.63.

The weekly and monthly minimum rate for domestic workers who work more than 27 hours a week will be R433.35 and R1 877.70 respectively.

The new hourly minimum rate for less than 27 hours per week will be R11.27 while the new weekly rate will be R304.29, and the new monthly rate will be R1 318.48.

Labour law consultant, Bernard Reisner said the new minimum wage was determined by adding the one percent increase to the consumer price index, which was 6.6 percent six weeks prior to 1 December.

Reisner said the increase was essentially 7.6 percent, adding that some employers may be forced to retrench their domestic workers as they would

no longer to be able to afford their services, while domestic workers may feel the nominal increase would not help them to meet financial commitments.

The South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers’ Union said the increase did not suffice.

Eunice Dhladhla, the union’s Gauteng spokesperson said, “We are not happy with the increment, one percent is a very small increase. The workers complain that the minimum wage is not a living wage and they are demanding a living wage.”

Dhladhla explained that many employers did not comply with the minimum wage of R1 600 set by the department of labour, resulting in some domestic workers earning as little as half of the prescribed minimum wage.

She added that because the increase was one percent of domestic workers’ current wages, it did not make a significant improvement to their earnings.

She said domestic workers were often paid depending on the number of duties their employers required them to do, which included cleaning, cooking, ironing and care giving.

She added that the union was still in the process of negotiating the increase, but would resort to picketing and other action if the negotiations proved unsuccessful.