Johannesburg - The country may be closer to the implementation of a national minimum wage as a report from a panel of advisors is set to be discussed at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) on Sunday, says Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa said the report will shed some light on the various intricacies of a national minimum wage, such how much it should be set at, an issue that labour and business struggled to agree on.
“The report discusses what the minimum wage should look like and it is a proposal. The proposal contains a figure, [the] magical figure that everyone was waiting for. It will be discussed across the nation and once accepted, we look at how it will work, change over time, when it will be implemented and accepted,” said Ramaphosa at trade union Fedusa’s national congress in Johannesburg on Friday.
Ramaphosa appointed the panel of advisors to hear various presentations on the matter and assist partners at Nedlac.
Although he seemed optimistic about the progress made so far between social partners, Ramaphosa acknowledged that it there would still be a long road ahead as labour, business, government and community representatives will still go back to their constituencies before an agreement is signed.
“It’s an exciting moment for all the partners that have been involved in the process, because we are now recording real meaningful progress and it’s not just words. It’s something concrete on the table now,” he said.
Ramaphosa had promised that the national minimum wage would be implemented by the end of the year, with Cosatu accusing the government of dragging its feet on the matter.
Sunday’s Nedlac meeting is also expected to discuss issues of labour stability and violence during strikes.
Ramaphosa also touched on his meeting with rating agencies this week, where he briefed them on the progress made on the State Owned Enterprises (SEO) reform process.
He said they were concerned about the growth of the economy and labour stability.
@ZintleMahlati
LABOUR BUREAU