Please find below the PowerPoint presentation that I will be presenting to the Portfolio Committee on Labour on behalf of the Forestry Industry later today in Parliament.
As mentioned in my email to you dated 14 march, the thrust of the presentation will try and get the Portfolio Committee to agree to the folowing recommedations:
In brief, the following are the main recommendations that we have made:
- The implementation of the NMW be put on hold until the economic environment improves to an extent whereby the unintended consequences thereof will be minimised.
- Whenever the NMW is implemented, the phasing in period (currently 90% of wage in May 2018, moving to 100% of the wage in May 2019) be extended over a minimum period of three years.
- The deductions currently allowable in terms of the Sectoral Determination vis à vis the provision of accommodation (max 10% of wage), food (max 10% of wage), repayment of loans and credit extended to workers and deductions that an employer is required to make in terms of a Court or arbitration award, be provided for in the NMW regulations.
- The annual review of the newly established NMW Commission include the impact of the NMW of employment levels and that representation thereof include those who can speak on behalf of the unemployed.
- The exemption process be made considerably easier and allow for non “employers’ organisations”, such as FSA, to apply for “blanket exemptions.
The definition of “farm worker” be extended to include workers working in “on site” primary forestry processing facilities (e.g. sawmills, mining timber mills, pole treating plants and charcoal plants). This will allow their wages to be set at the same level as those currently applicable to “forestry workers” working in plantations.
FSA Minimum Wages Presentation 2018
Source: Forestry South Africa
