S Africa's hourly national minimum wage to rise by 4.4% from Mar 1

Welcoming the rise, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) said it will help protect the value of the NMW and workers’ ability to take care of their families, and will inject stimulus into the economy, spurring growth and sustaining and creating jobs.

It will provide relief to six million workers earning within the NMW range, it said. These include farm, domestic, construction, retail, transport, hospitality, security and cleaning workers.

The NMW Act mandates that the NMW is not eroded by inflation as this would plunge many workers deeper into debt, poverty and despair.

The NMW came into effect in 2019.

COSATU said trade unions must expose 45 per cent of employers who refuse to comply with the NMW, and such non-compliance should be treated as criminal offence, according to domestic media reports.

The government’s commitment to employ 20,000 inspectors over the next three years must be expedited to ensure the defiance of the rule of law by some employers, the trade body said in a statement.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (DS)