Pretoria – The Department of Labour has launched an investigation into the salaries of taxi drivers and rank marshals, calling on taxi industry workers to make submissions.
The department said it has received complaints from drivers who claim their employers are not complying with the taxi industry’s sectoral determination.
The minimum wage for drivers was pegged at R2 847.01, while rank marshals should be pocketing R2 275.81 per month.
Department of Labour spokesperson Mokgadi Pela said public hearings would soon begin to set the new wages.
He said they were inviting stakeholders to make their inputs.
“The taxi drivers complain about the long hours they work, that they are not paid properly and there is no compliance with sectoral determination on the part of operators.
“They (taxi drivers) also say they have no contracts, no deductions for the unemployment insurance fund and no payslips. They have appealed to the Minister [Mildred Oliphant] to assist,” Pela said.
Taxi bosses are however not happy as they see the move as an interference by the government in their affairs, one of the taxi boss at Midrand Station, said ” I am not pleased with the government, they ask for an association, we formed it and they just keep demanding” says the Midrand taxi boss. Also on the queue of unpleased taxi association member is a very popular taxi goon called Sabaxa, who says, the government is digging too deep and this might lead to another war and more violence, leave us alone and let us control our things.
Meanwhile, the Minister on Wednesday announced a wage increment for the farming and forestry sectors.
As from 1 March 2016, the minimum wage increases are adjusted as follows:
– an hour rate of R14.25, up from R13.37
– a weekly rate of R641.32, which is up from R601.61 and
– a monthly rate of R2778.83, up from R2606.78
A daily wage for a farm worker is R128.26, up from R120.32, who works nine hours per day.
According to the department, the wage adjustments are to ensure that workers’ earnings keep pace with the rising cost of living while boosting the purchasing power which benefits the economy.
To calculate minimum wage increases, the department applied consumer price index (CPI), excluding owner’s equivalent rent, which is lower than what the department used to apply which was CPI for quintile 1, as published by Stats SA for a specific period.
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