(Numsa Media / Twitter)
(Numsa Media / Twitter)
The streets of Cape Town were awash with protestors on Thursday, as various unions marched to Parliament in protest over new labour laws and the proposed national minimum wage.
The bill itself has already been delayed for further consultation. But it’s something that Cyril Ramaphosa has been keen to implement for years. Now he’s assumed the Presidency, he’ll be keen to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later.
What is the proposed national minimum wage?
- It’s set at a rate of R20 ($1.43) per hour
- For a 40-hour working week, workers can earn a monthly fee of R3 500. That figure rises to R3 900 for those who work a 45-hour week.
- Farm workers will get a minimum wage of R18 per hour – 90% of the national rate
- The minimum wage for domestic workers will be R15 per hour – 75% of the national rate
- Employees of expanded public works programmes will be guaranteed R11 per hour – 55% of the national rate
Why are South Africans opposed to minimum wage?
Some South Africans still see this as a wage only fit for ‘slave labour’. Many employees could be limited to as little as R160 a day, and Cosatu – as well as other unions – see it as a legislation that will only enforce poverty in the country.
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) were part of the protests. They say that a living wage is needed, rather than a minimum. A living wage would be considerably higher than R20 an hour and provide the lower working class with a salary that can sustain a family too.
“We are back here on the 25th if we don’t hear an response”#ScrapTheNewLabourLaws #livingwages pic.twitter.com/hzLc2qJm0w
— SAFTU (@SAFTU_media) April 12, 2018
“We challenge the leadership of .@cosatu2015_ as well as the .@GovernmentZA to exist on R20 per hour for one month, before they impose this poverty wage on us” #DefendTheRightToStrike #LivingWageToday
.@IndustriALL_GU .@SAFTU_media pic.twitter.com/qznAaUif6K— NUMSA (@Numsa_Media) April 12, 2018
