Session on national minimum wage held

The Department of Labour will host roadshows on the natio­nal minimum wage (NMW) in Bethlehem and Bloemfontein next month.

The objective is to brief employers on the NMW, with special focus on the bill exemption process.

The Bloemfontein roadshow is set to be held on 19 April, followed by the Bethlehem event on 20 April.

Both briefing sessions will be held from 10:00 until 13:00.

The sessions are part of a nationwide programme, underway since Monday (19/03), through which the department aims to inform employers about the NMW government plans for implementation from 1 May.

The bill, set to pave the way for the NMW in South Africa, is currently in Parliament.

It has been published and the public could make representations until Friday (16/03).

According to the department, under the new law employers will have to pay their staff a minimum wage of R20 an hour.

Exempted from this are employers of farm and forestry, domestic and Expanded Public Works Programme workers, who have been given a longer transition period (R18, R15 and R11 per hour respectively).

Section 15 of the bill makes provision for an employer or an employers’ organisation registered in terms of section 96 of the Labour Relations Act, acting on behalf of its members, to apply for an exemption in the prescribed form and manner from paying the NMW.