By Kgomotso Ramotsho

The Portfolio Committee on Labour (the committee) released a statement through the Parliamentary Communication Services that said it was satisfied with the progress made in the processing of the National Minimum Wage Bill and related legislations. In the statement Acting Chairperson of the committee, Sharome van Schalkwyk, said the process had shifted to the department and that the Bill would be sent for redrafting to effect the input received from the public, as agreed to by the committee.

Ms van Schalkwyk said ‘The Department of Labour must take its time and rework the Bill for submission again to the committee. This piece of legislation is critical in our country, not only in fighting inequality, but also addressing abuse of the vulnerable workers in some sectors.’ The statement added that the committee had been working on the Bill for most of the first term of 2018 and also held public hearings.

Ms van Schalkwyk added that: ‘This is a piece of legislation that will change the course of vulnerable workers in our country for a long time, and it ought to be close to perfection when it is tabled before the National Assembly.’ She added that the committee had demonstrated a great deal of commitment when dealing with this piece of legislation and that committee members had shown maturity in expressing their positions on the matter.

Ms van Schalkwyk said this is only for the good and that it is solely intended to protect the most exploited workers in the country. She added that at no point will the legislation take away the right to strike, as is often claimed and that the R 20-per-hour amount is a starting figure, which will be reviewed annually.

Kgomotso Ramotsho Cert Journ (Boston) Cert Photography (Vega) is the news reporter at De Rebus.

This article was first published in De Rebus in 2018 (June) DR 9.