The Namibia Agricultural Labour Forum (NALF) has confirmed the successful completion of negotiations for an adjustment of the minimum wage for the agricultural sector. According to the new agreement, officially signed on 09 November 2021, the current minimum wage of 2017 is to be increased by 18% as from 1 January 2022.
The NALF is comprised of the Agricultural Employers’ Association (AEA), The Namibia National Farmers’ Union (NNFU), the Namibia Emerging Commercial Farmers’ Union (NECFU) and the Namibia Farm Workers’ Union (NAFWU).
The basic wage of a farmworker consists of a cash wage as well as a rations component. The minimum cash wage increases to N$5.40 per hour or N$1 053 per month for workers who work 45 hours per week. For those who do not receive the free rations’ portion, the rations allowance increases to N$600 per month. Thus, the value of the minimum basic wage of farmworkers will be N$1 653.00 per month as from 1 January 2022.
“The above parties once again want to emphasise that the minimum wage in the agricultural sector is just an entry-level wage meant for young farmworkers without previous experience. The actual salaries paid to farmworkers with experience are much higher. We believe that most workers on farms are better off than general workers in other industries, as farmworkers usually get free housing, rations, water, electricity and firewood, while workers in other industries have to utilise the bulk of their salaries for these commodities,” reads a NALF statement.
The parties will now approach the labour ministry to extend this collective agreement to the country’s entire agricultural sector by gazetting it in terms of the Labour Act