Domestic workers to expect wage increase
Wages for domestic workers were increased from R9.30 an hour to R10.23.
The Minister of Labour, Mildred Oliphant, increased the wages for workers in the Domestic Worker Sector with effect from December 1, 2015.
Wages for domestic workers who work between 27 to 45 hours a week, were increased from R9.30 an hour to R10.23.
The weekly rate was therefore increased from R418.32 to R460.15, and the monthly rate from R1 812.57 to R1 993.82.
For domestic workers who work less than 27 hours a week, the hourly rate was increased from R10.95 to R12.07, thereby making the weekly wages R325.98 and the monthly wages R1 412.49.
Furthermore, when employing a domestic worker, employers must register themselves and their employees for Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).
Once registered, employers must deduct one per cent of their staff’s earnings, which must be paid to UIF before the seventh of every month, alongside the one per cent employer’s contribution.
However, the UIF Act does not apply to employees working less than 24 hours a month, students, foreign nationalss and domestic workers who claim a State pension.
For further queries on domestic workers’ rights, employers can peruse the Department of Labour’s website on www.labour.gov.za.
