The Federation of Trade Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) is calling for the national minimum wage to be increased from R30,23 to at least R33 per hour from 1 March 2027. Fedusa also points to rising costs of basic necessities.
Fedusa says according to the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group the average basic household food basket cost R5 479,80 in August, while it has since risen to R6 597,25. The proposed increase of 9,2%, or R2,77 per hour, will raise the monthly income of a worker employed 40 hours per week to around R5 720 before deductions. The proposal has been submitted to the national minimum wage commission as part of the 2027 review process.
According to the trade union federation, the increase should be regarded as an interim step towards a living wage and not as the achievement of one. Research by the University of Cape Town places the national standard for a living wage at around R10 000 to R11 000 per month.
The federation says a minimum wage must not become a maximum wage and that work must offer a way out of poverty. Fedusa acknowledges South Africa's high unemployment rate of 33,6% in the second quarter of 2026, but says unemployment must not be used as a reason to keep working people poor. Fedusa further calls for annual adjustments that protect workers' purchasing power, stronger collective bargaining, better enforcement of the minimum wage and targeted support for vulnerable small, medium and micro-enterprises. The federation views R33 per hour as a responsible interim step to narrow the gap between the statutory minimum wage and a living wage.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
