Appraising the promises of minimum wage in sectoral determination 7: Domestic worker sector

Abstract

In order to strengthen the protection of domestic workers in South Africa, the government promulgated, in addition to the existing labour laws and other laws governing and regulating labour services, Sectoral Determination 7: Domestic Worker, specifically for domestic workers. This was done in view of the vulnerability of the workers and their job descriptions. This paper appraises the minimum wage aspect of the law with regard to whether it has started impacting positively on the conditions and standards of living of the domestic workers or not. It also looks at the impact of economic dynamisms such as inflation on the domestic workers' minimum wage since it was introduced and comes up with a proposal on what can be done to ensure compliance by employers.