The Department of Employment and Labour is to conduct another in a series of domestic workers’ seminars to educate workers on labour laws affecting the sector.

The seminar is aimed at creating awareness among others on the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act 130 of 1993, which now recognizes domestic workers as employees for the purpose of the Act, since the landmark ruling of Mahlangu v Minister of Department of Employment and Labour handed by the Constitutional Court.

Furthermore, the seminars aim to educate stakeholders on the registration of domestic workers with the Compensation Fund. For the first time since the promulgation of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) Act 09 of 2018, domestic workers’ wages are now aligned with the national minimum wage for all workers. The seminar will also hear a presentation on the NMW reported cases of domestic worker sector with the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).

The new National Minimum Wage rate came into effect on 01 March 2022. The new rate is R23.19 per hour.

The seminar will be held under the theme: “Paying the National Minimum Wage is the Right Thing to Do”. It is part of the Department’s Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES) branch advocacy programme to educate workers, especially those in vulnerable sectors like domestic workers. The seminar targets workers, employers, employer organisations and trade unions.

The event will be addressed by speakers from the Department’s IES branch, Labour Policy and Industrial Relations, Compensation Fund, the Unemployment Insurance Fund, Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration.

The programme for the day will focus on compliance with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, Sectoral Determination, including the National Minimum Wage Act, compliance with the Unemployment Insurance Fund, and the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act and dispute resolution.

Source: Government of South Africa