Good news for cash-strapped domestic workers

The season of goodwill has come early for thousands of domestic workers who are set to benefit from a wage increase just above seven percent, the Department of Labour said yesterday.

Virgil Seafield, Executive Manager for employment standards, said the hike would apply in both area A and B. Area A would normally be your metropolitan areas whilst Area B would be your smaller towns. It is however necessary to contact your labour department to determine the area in which you fall.

"Starting on 1 December, minimum wages of domestic workers employed for more than 27 hours a week in area A will rise from R6,88 per hour to R7,40. Put another way, their wages will go up from R1 340,95 to R1 442,86 per month," he said.

Seafield said the increase was based on the consumer price index (CPI) of 6,6 percent, plus one percent for area A.

He said wages for area B will rise from R5,63 per hour to R6,11 or from R1 097,40 to R1 191,78 per month. The latter was based on the CPI plus two percent.
Seafield said even workers employed under 27 hours in a month stood to benefit from the increase, with their minimum wages being raised from R8,12 to R8,74 per hour for area A, and from R6,65 to R7,22 for area B.

Statement issued by Page Boikanyo, spokesperson for the Department of Labour, November 24 2009

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