Online Reporter
Sifelani Tsiko-Fact Check Editor
Zimbabwe recently approved new adjusted minimum wage rates for domestic workers to help improve employment conditions for them and other classes of workers who are not covered by the National Employment Councils.
Under the revised rates, a yard worker/ gardener will earn US$90, a cook/housekeeper US$99, a child/disabled/aged minder US$108, disabled/aged minder with a Red Cross certificate US$117.
Labour analysts say domestic worker wages across SADC vary significantly by country depending on local inflation, cost of living, and statutory minimum wage laws.
Many of the differences are dictated by national minimum wage laws and collective bargaining agreements rather than a single regional rate.
This domestic labour sector largely has informal or undocumented wages and working conditions that often fall below legal thresholds. This cuts across the entire SADC region.
Thousands of women and girls around the SADC are employed as domestic workers in private households. They clean, cook, care for children, look after elderly family members, and perform other essential tasks for their employers.
Despite their important role, they are among the most exploited and abused workers in the workplace across the region.
They often work 14 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week, for wages far below the minimum wage. Governments across the region are moving to set minimum wage conditions to protect this vulnerable group of workers.
Globally, there are more than 76 million domestic workers and 76 percent of them are women, according to the ILO.
The workers in this sector worldwide experience “lower wages, fewer benefits and fewer legal or social protections than other workers”, according to the International Domestic Workers Federation. At least three-quarters of them are women.
Labour experts say that because they work in people’s homes, they are isolated, and many get little or no time off.
This makes them particularly vulnerable to abuse by employers and particularly hard to organise. Accommodation is often grim and food is inadequate.
The illustration takes a look at the current gazetted base wage minimums and market rates for key SADC nations:
Overview
Within the broader regional context, domestic worker wage floors vary significantly depending on local economic policies and living standards.
In most urban areas across the SADC region, inflation directly impacts the disposable income workers need for food and transport.
Most employers supplement the base wage with non-monetary benefits like food, electricity and on-site accommodation. Rural and out-of-town rates are often lower than urban rates.
Labour experts say live-in domestic helpers typically negotiate different total compensation compared to live-out, daily-commuter domestic workers who require transport allowances.
Domestic work plays an essential role in securing the maintenance and functioning of households and the well-being of their members and hence most governments within the SADC region are moving to set minimum wages to protect workers in this vulnerable sector.
Verdict
Zimbabwe’s latest step to review the minimum domestic workers’ wage rates is important and ensures just and fair remuneration.
The review helps promote decent work for domestic workers through laws and policies regarding remuneration.
The country’s minimum wage rates of between US$70 and USD$150 compare favourably to those prevailing in most countries within the SADC region.
