In a bid to attain a ‘living’ wage for low earners, the Department of Labour has announced the new rates for minimum wage for contract cleaners in the country.
The minimum wage has been increased to R16.98 per hour in metropolitan and local council areas, and in rural areas to R15.47 per hour, from R14.19 in 2013/14.
In a statement mailed to Transform SA Online, Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant‘s spokesperson, Mokgadi Pela, is quoted as saying: “The new minimum wage will be binding with effect from January 6, 2015 to November 30, 2015.”
The metropoles include the cities of Cape Town, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Nelson Mandela Bay. The councils include Emfuleni, Merafong, Mogale City, Metsimaholo, Randfontein, Stellenbosch, and Westonaria.
Thus far, the rate for semi-urban areas has not been released.