National minimum wage to increase from March

JOHANNESBURG - The Employment and Labour Department has announced an increase to the national minimum wage, effective in March.

The figure is the minimum amount an employer is legally required to remunerate employees for work done and is subject to review annually. 

The minimum wage will increase from R27,58 to R28,79 per working hour - marking a 4.2% hike.

The department said the increase applies to all workers, including domestic and farm workers and has attributed the hike to the rise in inflation 

“The national minimum wage cannot be varied by contract, collective agreement or law, it is also unfair labour practice for an employer to unilaterally alter work hours or other conditions of employment in implementing the national minimum wage,” said the Employment and Labour Department spokesperson - Thobeka Magcai.