Early festive cheer: domestic workers' minimum wages increased
Earlier this week, the minister of labour announced an above-consumer-price-index increase in domestic workers’ statutory minimum wages. The new wages, effective from 1 December 2013 to 30 November 2014, will be increased by the following amounts.
- 1% above the consumer price index for domestic workers working in urban areas - Area A; and
- 2% above the consumer price index (CPI) in rural areas - Area B.
The minimum wage for domestic workers who work 27 hours or more per week will be:
- Area A - R9.63 per hour, R433.35 per week (45-hour week) and R1 877.70 per month (45-hour week); and
- Area B - R8.30 per hour, R373.50 per week (45-hour week) and R1 618.37 per month (45-hour week).
The minimum wage for domestic workers who work 27 hours or less per week will be:
- Area A - R11.27 per hour, R304.29 per week (27-hour week) and R1 318.48 per month (27-hour week); and
- Area B - R9.80 per hour, R264.60 per week (27-hour week and R1 146.51 per month (27-hour week).
In terms of the section 10 of the Sectoral Determination 7 dealing with the domestic worker sector, an employer may not require or allow a domestic worker to work more than:
- 45 hours in any week; and
- Nine hours on any day if the domestic worker works for five days or less in a week; or
- Eight hours in any day if the domestic worker works on more than five days in any week.
Section 12 of Sectoral Determination 7 provides that you must pay your domestic worker at least one and a half times his/her wage for overtime worked.
