CGE ANNUAL REPORT

2022/23 ANNUAL REPORT

Name of Commissioner T. Mathebula

Strategic Outcomes

Quarter 2 Activity Report

Strategic Outcome 1: To ensure the creation and implementation of an enabling legislative framework that promotes the attainment of Gender Equality.

National Minimum Wage Bill – 07 September 2022: - The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) was granted an opportunity to make written representations on the publication of the investigation into the National Minimum Wage. Leading up to the implementation of a national minimum wage, there have been debates around the question of the protection of workers against non-compliance which has overshadowed the actual protection that the introduction of a minimum wage actual affords low-wage earners. The CGE therefore, submitted that the introduction of a wage floor can afford a greater protection, as it results in meaningful developments that raises the wages of many South Africans within the ultra-low wage economy and thus the protection of workers in ensuring that there is an established floor to raise where there was none before. However, it has to be noted that given the current economic climate, if employers are likely to not afford the increase, there is a likelihood of many applications for exemptions. Way Forward / Recommendations: - Minimum wages are an important labour market intervention with various benefits. Furthermore, it is an important aspect that wages be adjusted with inflation. As the lack of an adjustment will result in the real values of the existing wages decreasing overtime and thus leaving a large number of the population, not only work poor, however, disenfranchised in respect of finding themselves in a greater state of the skewed income distribution, larger regional disparities, and low growth. Which will just lead to a bigger gap of gender inequality.

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