Share

Minimum wage 'not just a thumbsuck'

Cape Town - Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant and her department need to attend to the minimum wages in the agricultural sector, Cape Chamber of Commerce president Fred Jacobs said on Wednesday.

"This is just one example of why our current industrial relations framework is not working," he said.

Jacobs was commenting on the ongoing protests by farmworkers in various places around the Western Cape.

Among others, grape harvesters in the Hex River Valley have been protesting for over a week about their wages, demanding R150 a day. Most earn between R69 and R75 a day, with R80 being the highest and only offer from farmers so far.

Jacobs said: "We can't just suck a number out of the sky to determine what should be paid. We have to find out what the comparative wages are in the rest of the region. We have to go back to an empirical methodology."

Sectoral determination was a labour department issue and the minister should be addressing the rationale behind the decision, he said.

The current minimum wage in agriculture was set at R7.71 per hour (or R70 per nine-hour day) fixed by the minister. By contrast the absolute minimum wage for a worker in the public sector was R26.61 per hour.

What was equally concerning for business was the "continuation of this trend of ill-discipline and violence from disgruntled workers".

The chamber acknowledged the right to negotiate for a better living wage and better living conditions.

"We understand that our future depends on our current workers crafting a better life for their kids, with access to decent education and prospects.

"However, violence is simply going to result in job losses. Vineyards and orchards take years to mature and yield - it's not [like] an insurance claim on a piece of machinery that you can replace tomorrow.

"This will have a long-term knock-on effect on the entire export ecosystem," Jacobs said.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.00
-0.5%
Rand - Pound
24.02
-0.5%
Rand - Euro
20.51
-0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.35
-0.0%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.6%
Platinum
900.15
+0.4%
Palladium
1,000.00
-0.2%
Gold
2,210.45
+0.7%
Silver
24.60
-0.2%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,142
+0.7%
All Share
74,329
+0.6%
Resource 10
56,957
+2.3%
Industrial 25
103,635
+0.4%
Financial 15
16,485
-0.2%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders