Attorney Michael de Broglio on: South Africa, Law, Politics, Attorneys, Sport, Photography, Technology, Gadgets, Media, Crime, Road Accidents Fund,
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The national minimum wage will increase to R20,76 per hour for ordinary hours worked from 1 March 2020 which is an increase of 3,8%. That increase of course is in line with, if not slightly below, inflation. Unfortunately, farm workers, people working for the public works programme and domestic workers will not get those amounts with the minimum wage from 1 March for domestic workers being R15,57 or just under $1 per hour. That means that the minimum wage for an 8 hour day for a regular worker would now at the recent Rand rates be the equivalent of $11 per working day when many States in America already have a minimum wage of $15 an hour. Of course, that varies from country to country and it also varies from city to city within America relative to the cost of living and the job market in that city as is also the case in South Africa. By way of example, you would have lots of people who want to work at the Disney and Universal Theme Parks in Orlando and would be lining up to work for $10 an hour whereas in a city like Seattle, where things are a lot more expensive, there are apparently adverts outside restaurants for dishwashers at $18 an hour and barmen and bar ladies earn about $22 an hour which is more than the vast majority of attorneys in South Africa actually earn on a monthly basis – that $22 an hour is about R56 000 a month. Of course, the other side of the coin is that the cost of living in South Africa is extremely cheap compared to most of Europe and most other countries with particular regard to the things that you actually need in life such as water, fruit and vegetables, etc.
Posted by Michael de Broglio on Sunday 01-Mar-20
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Comments
Zandelee said:
on Thursday 09-Apr-20 09:47 PM
I really believe this increase will help to make the lives of some workers a little easier, however it is not substantial enough to stamp out poverty in South Africa or completely change their lives. However it may hurt small companies who cannot afford to pay the minimum wage which is a harsh reality
Jessica said:
on Wednesday 08-Apr-20 11:15 AM
I guess it isn't a bad thing to set standards on certain things. I am glad especially for helpers as we all don't like to do the dirty work of cleaning up after ourselves all the time. It is a lot of work so setting a standard rate for that is necessary otherwise people will take advantage of their helpers. I also think it is time for me to move overseas and become a bartender.
Bronwyn said:
on Tuesday 31-Mar-20 05:45 PM
It is nice to see that the minimum wage has been increased,but i feel this is stille not enough will all the price increases we have been facing lately,
Cornelie said:
on Tuesday 31-Mar-20 05:27 PM
That is a bit of good news to the people who earn the minimum wage there is no way they can live on some of the salaries they do get a month I hope the employers keep by that.
Helen said:
on Tuesday 31-Mar-20 03:51 PM
The national minimum wage increase is wonderful news, I was always wondering how some people could survive on their minimum salary.
Also very interesting to compare figures with other countries, feels like we are underpaid sometimes, but let say if take my home City - Odessa, minimum wage in 2019 was $ 154 per month, which makes around 70 Cents per hour. But sadly to say
- the groceries are not cheep anymore as before.
Jolene said:
on Tuesday 31-Mar-20 12:48 PM
I'm glad to hear that the Government has decided to increase the minimum wage. Domestic workers in South Africa do not earn enough, in some other countries domestic workers, or cleaners, are very expensive and it is seen as a luxury.
Kendall said:
on Tuesday 31-Mar-20 09:33 AM
I am glad that the minimum wage has increased. The most vulnerable people in our society need to be protected. The sad reality is that even with these wage increases, these people are still going to struggle to get by considering the ever increasing prices of goods and services in South Africa.
Sarah said:
on Tuesday 31-Mar-20 09:26 AM
I am glad minimum wage is going up. Domestic workers can't live off the salary that they get. I am grateful for a salary increase
Lourien said:
on Tuesday 31-Mar-20 09:08 AM
Minimum wages are aligned with the cost of living, it is low in South Africa but the cost of living is also fairly low when you compare this with other countries.
Its always good when comparing the minimum wages but don not forget to look at the average cost of living to see how people can make a living, what does food cost, housing, schools and taking everything into account will give you a much better perception of what the average minimum wage should be.
Shanelle said:
on Tuesday 31-Mar-20 08:23 AM
I agree with what Michelle said, in our country minimum wage is vital so many people depend on it and its always nice to see it has been increased, I believe that our domestic workers deserve more though.
Michelle D said:
on Tuesday 31-Mar-20 07:51 AM
Minimum wage is important in this country because it incentivizes having a job in the first place. I think when you're earning more from government grants by having children then actually seeking gainful employment it is exceptionally detrimental for everyone! I'm not going to lie, if I could bar tend for R56 000 a month and continue living here that would be decent. But as you said, it's all relative to living costs and in the States it probably isn't that much.
Daniella said:
on Friday 27-Mar-20 03:23 PM
Its always a good thing when minimum wage goes up. The cost of living in South Africa is quite high and really not affordable should you be earning less than minimum wage.
Dasanya said:
on Monday 23-Mar-20 09:25 AM
The cost of living in South Africa is high for those earning below the minimum wage and those who are "just getting by" with their current wage. It is sad that the wages of domestic and farm workers, whose work is considered to be very laborious, will fall below the minimum wage as we depend a lot on them to get their work done. Even with that being said, an increase in the minimum wage is definitely a positive thing and which I am sure will benefit a lot of people.
Victoria said:
on Monday 23-Mar-20 08:58 AM
An increase is always a good thing, this increase will definitely help people. Even though there is an increase still hard to get the basics.
Angelique said:
on Friday 20-Mar-20 08:13 AM
It certainly benefits many workers earning less than the prescribed level and hopefully it is actually implemented. Many companies simply don't follow the law and people just deal with it because of the high unemployment rate. Something is better than nothing type attitude. The increase is definitely welcomed and hopefully will help more people have a better quality of life.
Lucretia said:
on Thursday 19-Mar-20 08:45 AM
I believe the domestic workers should earn a lot more, if you come to think of it, they are doing a lot of work, they are keeping other people's homes clean and house work is hard work. I, for one, do not pay my domestic what the government has said they must get, she is worth way more to me than what the government thinks she should be paid...
Claudia B said:
on Thursday 19-Mar-20 08:11 AM
I would most definitely agree with Fikile, everyone is always happy when it is time to get a increase on our salary, no matter how big or small, it will always help you. I do believe that the farmers and domestic workers deserve a bit more.
Ashleigh said:
on Thursday 19-Mar-20 08:09 AM
I am always grateful to receive an increase but like I always say, salaries go up but so does everything else and is your salary going up enough to keep up with all the other things that go up.
Nicolene said:
on Thursday 19-Mar-20 08:08 AM
It is actually sad that farm workers, people working for the public works program and domestic workers will not get these amounts. The minimum wage increase should apply to all workers. It is very nice to get an increase, but yet our cost of living is always increasing as well. It's difficult to keep up these days.
Thabitha said:
on Thursday 19-Mar-20 07:16 AM
Comes to think of it, farmer workers and domestic worker they really deserve good increase because they work hard. farming is not an easy thing but then what can we say.
Shristi said:
on Wednesday 18-Mar-20 04:47 PM
I'm glad to hear that although the economy is under such extreme pressure that the Government has decided to increase the minimum wage. It is just sad and unfair that it does not apply to farm workers, people working for the public works programme and domestic workers. The cost of living is always increasing and to help bring down the poverty rate I think the minimum wage should apply to all workers.
fikile said:
on Wednesday 18-Mar-20 04:21 PM
It is always a happy time for most people to get a raise on the salary and for others it's always a part of figuring out how much they will get as an increase and if it's going to help them or make a difference in their salaries. With the cost of living rising every time it's hard to buy anything.
Megan said:
on Wednesday 18-Mar-20 11:25 AM
I think if you're from that country you can only understand that country's cost of living, personally individuals in SA agree that the cost of living is too high here and by us constantly converting our rand to say the pound, I don't think we could still truly understand the cost for the other.
Ziyanda said:
on Wednesday 18-Mar-20 07:58 AM
I agree with Prishani an increase is always a good thing. However, many people are still unable to afford the basis since the cost of living is too high. I hope that in the near future the farm and domestic workers get to be included in the minimum wage.
Chante said:
on Tuesday 17-Mar-20 04:54 PM
It's nice that the Government has increased the minimum wage. There are a lot of people who work for minimum wage or even less just to be able to support their families. It is truly unfair that it does not apply to domestic workers, most of them are truly hard-working. If the increase could only be higher than inflation.
Prishani said:
on Tuesday 17-Mar-20 02:45 PM
A salary increase is always a positive thing, it is just said that many can still not afford basic needs because the cost of living is so high!
Roxanne said:
on Tuesday 17-Mar-20 02:04 PM
Its all good and well the salaries goes up however the cost of living goes up even worse then what the salaries do.
Sujata said:
on Tuesday 17-Mar-20 12:59 PM
The cost of living will definitely rise as a result of the increase and those most affected are the poor who work menial jobs who may inevitably lose their jobs as a result.
Brumilde Cronje said:
on Tuesday 17-Mar-20 10:47 AM
I Spoke to some friends of mine about the same subject from Switzerland. They say that if you have a domestic worker you are very wealthy, they are very expensive, even if they just come to clean you house once a week, here in SA if is somewhat affordable to get some help
Courtney said:
on Tuesday 17-Mar-20 10:28 AM
Increase are always nice to have and it motivates one to worker harder and harder each year! South Africa's prices on food, water etc. is going to go sky high with this virus that's going on. I wish everyone will survive this and look after one another!
Clare Tissen said:
on Tuesday 17-Mar-20 09:59 AM
Its all great the the salary goes up, but so does the cost of Living and it is starting to get hectic. and with the Increase people can start losing Jobs because some people can not afford them.
Alexis said:
on Tuesday 17-Mar-20 09:05 AM
It is nice to get an increase in ones standard paycheck. Though, one can agree with Karien, in the fact that more people will lose their jobs due to this. The cost of living in South Africa is quite high, and to try and afford this increase, will make it so much harder
Natasha said:
on Tuesday 17-Mar-20 08:59 AM
Its insane to think they get paid so much but the cost of living is so expensive.That a bar tender get more then some Attorneys in S.A its crazy
Michelle Smillie said:
on Tuesday 17-Mar-20 08:55 AM
I'm glad that our Government has increased the minimum wage. There are so many people who work for so little just so that they can survive and support their families. Although sad that it does not apply to domestic workers, I really believe that these workers needed this increase.
Karien said:
on Tuesday 17-Mar-20 08:54 AM
I personally think that this increase will result in many individuals losing their jobs. The South African economy is under extreme pressure. The minimum wage for domestic workers also differs from area to area which is understandable due to the living costs involved in rural and urban areas.
Johannesburg based attorney specializing in personal injury matters including Road Accident Fund claims and medical negligence matters. My interests include golf, reading and the internet and the way it is constantly developing. I have a passion for life and a desire for less stress!
