The minimum wage for all Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) participants, with effect from 1f November, will increase from R83.59 to R88.00 per day or per task.
This was announced by Department of Public Works’ Deputy Director General for the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), Stanley Henderson.
The wage increase is in line with the current inflation rate.
“As EPWP continues to play a significant role in uplifting the lives of EPWP participants and communities through the creation of work opportunities and providing much needed services under the EPWP sectors such as infrastructure, non-State, environment & culture sector, as well as the social sectors, its impact is noticeable through the assets created and skills provided to our communities and participants.
“The wage increase will significantly boost the socio-economic conditions of the EPWP participants, and I urge all the implementing bodies of the EPWP to timeously adhere to the implementation of an approved prescribed minimum wage increase as of 1 November 2017,” said Henderson.
The implementation of the adjusted minimum wage is applicable to all the participants of the EPWP across all sectors. However, many public bodies implementing the EPWP projects pay wages that are much higher than the prescribed minimum wage, which is a significant move towards achieving better socio-economic status of the participants and communities.
The EPWP is a government initiative aimed at reducing poverty and unemployment through the provision of training and short-term to medium-term labour intensive work opportunities to the poor and unemployed South Africans.
The EPWP participants work in different projects like Early Childhood Development Centres, Home Community Based Care, Extra School Support Programmes, Working on fire, Working for Water, Roads Maintenance Projects, etc.
Through various skills and training that the participants receive from the EPWP, the participants stand a better chance to enter a formal job market or become entrepreneurs. – SAnews.gov.za
