A new minimum wage has been set for farm workers effective from March 1, the Department of Labour said on Friday.
”They [farm workers] are now entitled to a minimum wage of R1 041 per month,” department spokesperson Zolisa Sigabi said in a statement.
He said the annual guaranteed wage hikes were regulated by the department’s sectoral determination for the agricultural sector, which set minimum wages and employment conditions.
The hikes were in line with the government’s people’s contract to create work and fight poverty as it protected ”the most vulnerable” of workers by setting minimum wages and acceptable working conditions for the sector.
When the sectoral determination was promulgated in December 2001 minimum wages were set at R800 for those workers in urban areas and at R650 for workers in peri-urban and rural areas, said Sigabi. — Sapa