media statement...
THE MINISTER OF LABOUR announces
domestic worker minimum wage
Domestic workers throughout South Africa will be guaranteed a minimum
wage as from 1 November 2002, Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana said
when launching the Domestic Workers Sectoral Determination at a
parliamentary press briefing this morning.
The speech, which was dedicated to the gallant heroines of the struggle
against apartheid, outlined the main provisions of the Sectoral
Determination and some of the Department's key achievements during the
year.
"We have taken the first steps in the transformation of the
domestic worker sector. The labour laws are in place, skills training and
social security benefits are underway. Our society should come to terms
with the need to give domestic workers a fair deal at work," the
Minister said.
The Sectoral Determination is a sectorally relevant replacement of the
Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA). The key concern of this
Sectoral Determination is to balance the improvement of the livelihood of
domestic workers with both retention of existing jobs and the creation of
new employment opportunities.
"We have … set wages with the above in mind. The minimum
wages are not only affordable, but very realistic; different wages are
prescribed depending on where domestic workers live and the number of
hours they work," the Minister said.
"The rate varies between R418,22 for employees who work 27 hours
or less in a week and R800 per month for employees who work 45 hours in a
week. Employees will only be compelled to pay the new rates as from
November 1, 2002," the Minister said.
The Minister emphasised that most of the conditions of employment that
were applicable under the BCEA have been retained but certain sectorally
specific variations had been introduced.
Minister Mdladlana also discussed the achievements of the Department's
Skills Development Strategy and other programmes.
"The Skills Development Strategy has yielded remarkable results.
Indeed, many of you were stunned when I said at the beginning of the year
that I was confident that my Department would meet the target of
registering 3 000 learners by the end of March. It is no minor achievement
that we not only reached that ambitious target but more than doubled it.
There are about 7 700 learners registered in the learnership scheme,"
the Minister said
"The National Skills Fund has spent about R150 million to train
more than 72 000 people. The National Skills Fund has also disbursed R1,3
billion to strategic projects aimed at benefiting about 350 000 learners
over the next three years," the Minister said.
The Minister also condemned certain Sector Education Training Authority
officials who had abused their positions to commit acts of corruption,
frauds and nepotism, reiterating the Department's intolerance of that
behaviour as evidenced by investigations of allegations.
The Minister also referred to the increased visibility of labour
inspectors that had led to a realisation on the part of employers that
they could no longer violate workers' rights with impunity.
ENDS
Issued by: Chief Directorate Communications
Department
of Labour
Inquiries: Snuki Zikalala
082
561 3842
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