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The Department of Employment and Labour has urged domestic workers who are not receiving the national minimum wage from their employers should report this as a breach of the law.
The Deputy Director: Advocacy and Stakeholder Relations in the Department, Caroline Kwetepane, said three years since the introduction of the NMW, employers were still “exploiting and violating the law” by underpaying domestic workers.
She said, in addition, workers were still “not given contracts of employment, not handed payslips, not registered for injuries on duty, not registered for Unemployment Insurance Fund benefits and not extended leave benefits among violations.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the NMW Act of 2018 which came into effect on 1 January 2019 at R20 per hour.
Since then it has increased to R23.19 for each ordinary hour worked for the year 2022 with effect from 1 March 2022.
CCMA Commissioner Matome Selapisa noted that compliance in the sector was key.
According to Selapisa the CCMA has since April 2022 adjudicated over 538 cases related to the implementation of the National Minimum Wage and Basic Conditions of Employment Act in the Domestic Worker sector.
In the previous period from April 2021 to 31 March 2022 the CCMA said it had adjudicated over 1215 cases in the Domestic Worker sector, Selapisa said. He also encouraged domestic workers to report their grievances relating to the NMW with the CCMA
