Minimum Wage For KZN Building Industry?

This has been an issue which has been on the agenda of the Association’s Executive Council for some time now and there is general agreement that we need to pursue some form of wage regulation in the industry.  The reason for this is that genuine professional builders, who are paying their employees a reasonable industry related wage, are being undercut by unscrupulous operators who are keeping their labour costs down by underpaying workers.

There are a number of routes to go including approaching government to establish a Sectoral Determination which will prescribe what the minimum wages are (much as is happening in the Civil Engineering Contracting Industry).  It is recognised that any system that is introduced, however, cannot impose any drastic or sudden increases in the wage as this would be far too disruptive for the industry and create economic stress at a time when it can be least afforded. 

The Association will therefore be canvassing members, both through general surveys and targeted visits, to ascertain what the current status is regarding minimum wages in the different regions in the province, and to obtain comprehensive views as to whether this process should be followed through.

In the interim kindly contact Brandon Abdinor at brandon@masterbuilders.co.za with any views you may have in this regard.  The more information we can get in this matter, the more we can be sure of introducing a system that will work for all of our members.

Brandon Abdinor | Executive Director