National Minimum Wage Bill – Postponed

Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant confirmed on Monday evening that it would not be possible to implement the National Minimum Wage Bill on the initially envisaged implementation date of May 1 because the parliamentary process dealing with it will not be completed by then.

The minister updated the media on the progress regarding the National Minimum Wage Bill‚ the Labour Relations Amendment Bill and the Basic Conditions of Employment Bill that are currently being considered by the Parliament’s portfolio committee on labour.

Oliphant said the bills were highly contested and “it has become apparent that the ambition for the National Minimum Wage Bill to become law by May 1‚ 2018‚ may not be practical given the high volumes of public submissions‚ both written and oral”.

“We are also aware of a number of important issues that are being raised in these public hearings which parliament will have to consider as part of concluding the bills. We stand ready to take instructions from the parliamentary process‚” she said.