Pretoria - The Department of Employment and Labour has called on domestic workers forced to endure exploitation, abuse and being paid below the national minimum wage to report these violations to its nearest offices.

The call was made during the department’s domestic worker seminar at the Atteridgeville Community Hall over the weekend.

The workshop formed part of the department’s inspection and enforcement services branch advocacy programme to educate stakeholders on labour laws and promote compliance within the sector.

Deputy director for the department’s advocacy and stakeholder relations, Caroline Kwetepane, said despite it being three years since the introduction of the National Minimum Wage, they found employers were still violating the law by underpaying domestic workers.

Kwetepane said in most instances they found that in addition to being underpaid, domestic workers were not given contracts of employment, not handed payslips, not registered for injuries on duty, not registered for UIF benefits and not extended leave benefits, among other things.

She further explained that the move by President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign the National Minimum Wage Act, which came into effect on January 1, 2019, was in line with the International Labour Organization convention to improve the living standards of vulnerable workers.

This meant that the minimum wage was fixed at R20 an hour, and then later increased following reviews and adjustments by Employment and Labour Minister Thulas...

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