Regulation on minimum wage exemptions 'onerous'

The Labour Minister has drafted regulations with regard to the application for exemption from paying the national minimum wage, which Michael Bagraim, DA labour spokesperson describes in a letter to Business Day, as incredibly onerous, ‘in fact almost ridiculous in their structure, and it is important for the business community to have a careful look at them with a view to commenting thereon’. Bagraim writes that these regulations will make it almost impossible for small businesses to apply for the exemption and will encourage them to rather pay whatever wages they choose, knowing that the chances of them being discovered are negligible. He says the department is already notoriously bad at enforcing the current law, ‘and as our laws become harsher, we will find more businesses ignoring the labour legislation in its entirety’. He says the government is doing nothing to encourage small business to abide by the law, so the minority that do are at a distinct disadvantage.