The Member’s Bill recently submitted to Parliament proposing enhanced paternity and adoption leave for employees, remains under consideration. If adopted, the proposals would significantly increase employees’ entitlements to paternity leave available in South Africa (from the current 3 days to 10 days) and provide additional entitlements in relation to adoption leave. A proposed national minimum wage of R20/hour or R3500 per month remains under consideration. On the one hand, the proposals have come under renewed critique for recommending a wage which is arguably lower than what can be considered a “living wage”; at the same time, many commentators remain of the view that the implementation of the national minimum wage will lead to widespread job cuts, as employers struggle to accommodate the increased cost of labour into their businesses.
South Africa