Minimum Wage for Domestic Workers?

What do you pay your domestic worker? Cash only, not benefits.

  • Less than R50 per day

    Votes: 7 5.1%

  • R50 - R99 per day

    Votes: 41 30.1%

  • R100 - R149 per day

    Votes: 55 40.4%

  • R150 - R200 per day

    Votes: 17 12.5%

  • More than R200 per day

    Votes: 6 4.4%

  • I want a domestic but can't afford to pay him/her a decent salary.

    Votes: 10 7.4%
  • Total voters
    136
bex.cpt said:
OMG:eek: How can you people pay these people these wages? Just because a minimum wage exist does not mean we have to pay them that peanuts. Give your domestic worker a living wage. She cleans your house iron your close and you pay her THAT?

5 years ago I paid my domestic R150 a day and that excludes traveling and food. Not because I wanted to be all that but because it is only right. Take your hourly rate double it and pay the domestic that. come on people do the right thing:D
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Listen here, how the hell do you know the circumstances? Would you prefer I left someone unemployed because I can't afford to pay them your higher than normal price?

Yeah, maybe that's what I should do. Fire my domestic because I can't afford to pay her the same as the rich guy that ripped the poor people off on the forum.

Bugger off unless you know the facts and have something useful to say.

****
 
R120 a day is R15 - R17 an hour which is very reasonable for manual labour. People who work in PnP/Checkers etc. earn about R11 an hour at the tills. They get no meals and no busfare. If I include her meals etc. that's another R20 a day. My domestic has more edgars, woolies and ellerines accounts than me, wears nice clothes and shoes and jewelry. She also has a cellphone which rings constatly. That is more than the majority of poor people can even dream of and her skills as a cleaner are not exactly rare. It's the old supply and demand equation.

That said, it is important to look after the people you trust your empty house and toothbrush to. If she asks for extra things, I mostly say yes and I don't mind if she finishes early and goes home. She also gets a xmas bonus of double her pay. She has never asked for a raise and we gave her a 20% increase last year when we only got 10% at work. All in all, not a bad deal if you ask most people.

Sadly, she could probably earn more begging at the traffic lights with a baby or blind relative..
 
JUGGY said:
Listen here, how the hell do you know the circumstances? Would you prefer I left someone unemployed because I can't afford to pay them your higher than normal price?

Yeah, maybe that's what I should do. Fire my domestic because I can't afford to pay her the same as the rich guy that ripped the poor people off on the forum.

Bugger off unless you know the facts and have something useful to say.

****
Click to expand...

+1. Sheesh. R150/day is not bad for basic manual labour if you ask me. Some people....
 
I employ my domestic worker for 8 or 9 days per month (depending on the calendar) and I pay her R 175 per day, plus lunch and transport money.

She takes care of all domestic cleaning and ironing. The washing, cooking and dishes I do myself.
 
bex.cpt said:
OMG:eek: How can you people pay these people these wages? Just because a minimum wage exist does not mean we have to pay them that peanuts. Give your domestic worker a living wage. She cleans your house iron your close and you pay her THAT?
Click to expand...

Its quite simple, youre paying for a service that almost anyone can deliver. Anyone can become a maid, and we have hundreds of thousands of unemployed which are willing to do the job. (Excluding the millions of Zimbabweans here that are even MORE willing to work... without the headaches of CCMA and unions and all kinds of rubbish)

Your boss, and any other company does the same thing. They pay you the going market rate for someone of your skills / capability. And if there is someone who can do exactly the same work for cheaper, they get hired. Why should it work any differently for a domestic worker?
 
KillerX said:
Its quite simple, youre paying for a service that almost anyone can deliver. Anyone can become a maid, and we have hundreds of thousands of unemployed which are willing to do the job. (Excluding the millions of Zimbabweans here that are even MORE willing to work... without the headaches of CCMA and unions and all kinds of rubbish)

Your boss, and any other company does the same thing. They pay you the going market rate for someone of your skills / capability. And if there is someone who can do exactly the same work for cheaper, they get hired. Why should it work any differently for a domestic worker?
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I disagree.

It may be unskilled labour, but there are domestic workers who are head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to the quality of the work. THAT is what one should pay more for, IMO.
 
blunomore said:
I disagree.

It may be unskilled labour, but there are domestic workers who are head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to the quality of the work. THAT is what one should pay more for, IMO.
Click to expand...

Agreed but that certainly doesn't happen from day 1 that's for sure.

Just like the rest of us in the working class you have to prove yourself.
 
JUGGY said:
Listen here, how the hell do you know the circumstances? Would you prefer I left someone unemployed because I can't afford to pay them your higher than normal price?

Yeah, maybe that's what I should do. Fire my domestic because I can't afford to pay her the same as the rich guy that ripped the poor people off on the forum.

Bugger off unless you know the facts and have something useful to say.

****
Click to expand...

:eek: No need to get your panties in s twist. Pay the women what you can afford but do not pay her minumum wage. That was my point.

"Even Minimum people cannot survive on minimum wage"

Gaz{M} said:
R120 a day is R15 - R17 an hour which is very reasonable for manual labour. People who work in PnP/Checkers etc. earn about R11 an hour at the tills. They get no meals and no busfare. If I include her meals etc. that's another R20 a day. My domestic has more edgars, woolies and ellerines accounts than me, wears nice clothes and shoes and jewelry. She also has a cellphone which rings constatly. That is more than the majority of poor people can even dream of and her skills as a cleaner are not exactly rare. It's the old supply and demand equation.

That said, it is important to look after the people you trust your empty house and toothbrush to. If she asks for extra things, I mostly say yes and I don't mind if she finishes early and goes home. She also gets a xmas bonus of double her pay. She has never asked for a raise and we gave her a 20% increase last year when we only got 10% at work. All in all, not a bad deal if you ask most people.

Sadly, she could probably earn more begging at the traffic lights with a baby or blind relative..
Click to expand...

HenryJ said:
+1. Sheesh. R150/day is not bad for basic manual labour if you ask me. Some people....
Click to expand...

blunomore said:
I employ my domestic worker for 8 or 9 days per month (depending on the calendar) and I pay her R 175 per day, plus lunch and transport money.

She takes care of all domestic cleaning and ironing. The washing, cooking and dishes I do myself.
Click to expand...

Well done to you guys:D
 
Last edited:
bex.cpt said:
OMG:eek: How can you people pay these people these wages? Just because a minimum wage exist does not mean we have to pay them that peanuts. Give your domestic worker a living wage. She cleans your house iron your close and you pay her THAT?

5 years ago I paid my domestic R150 a day and that excludes traveling and food. Not because I wanted to be all that but because it is only right. Take your hourly rate double it and pay the domestic that. come on people do the right thing:D
Click to expand...

What do you pay your domestic worker now?
 
Domestic worker salary?

How much do you pay a domestic worker?
She will be working from 08:30 to 15:00 Monday to Friday doing ironing and cleaning in a 3 bedroom house. Any ideas or guidelines i can refer to?
 
There are minimum wages specified. For those working over 24 hours a week, as far as I remember. I think it sets out the rate per hour. Perhaps another kind forumite can pull up the info for you.
 
well last time when I asked the question, my head was bitten off! I paid my R80 a day, she came in once a week.

Now I have someone better, she does a great job and gets paid R120 per day.

P.S 2 bedroom apartment


Maybe from R1600 upwards, no idea really
 
Damn, that's an absolute pittance you're paying. Sad that people are happy to work for that though...
 
Gamer said:
Some reading on the subjext can be found here:
http://www.labour.gov.za/find-more-info/all-about-domestic-workers

Minimum wage for Dom workers here:
http://www.labour.gov.za/legislation/acts/basic-guides/basic-guide-to-minimum-wages-domestic-workers

By these guidelines, our helper should get a fraction short of R50.00 for her 6.5 hours. We pay her R85.00 a day though and she only comes to us twice a week (just cut her last month from 3 times a week).
Click to expand...
That is shocking.
 
DJK said:
Damn, that's an absolute pittance you're paying. Sad that people are happy to work for that though...
Click to expand...

bwana said:
That is shocking.
Click to expand...

It's the average rate in Durban and I can't afford to pay her more on an ongoing basis.
We look after her. She eats our food, breakfast and lunch. We buy her and her family groceries when we do our monthly shopping. She takes home left over meals/excess food every time she works. We give her clothes for her and her kids. She showers here and she can use our facilities and consumables to do her washing and ironing too....on our time.
I've got no shame or guilt in what she gets paid...it's 70% more than the minimum wage set out by HER elected government and by the time we add up everything else we give to her out of our pocket, it'll add up to more than R200.00 for her 6.5 hours per day.
 
Bread and water.... :D

I don't have a DW (aka maid) any more. The last one was the last straw! She reported me to the CCMA and, luckily, they told me that she was a chancer! There's no way that I will ever employ another domestic worker again. I've just had to learn to do things the "non-South African" way. It's been 5 years, and my house is usually fairly clean. I hope she (and her 9 children) are suffering.
 
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