The Department of Labour will commence with the process of conducting an investigation into the building sector with the view to establish a sectoral determination. This will result in prescribed minimum wages and conditions of employment for this sector.

Sectoral determination entails aspects that deal with the protection of workers in vulnerable sectors/areas of work. The determination sets minimum working hours, minimum wages, number of leave days and termination rules.

The building sector currently has no sectoral determination and is instead covered by the bargaining councils in different provinces.

The department is set to host a series of national public hearings aimed at obtaining inputs from employers and employees in the building sector regarding:

• the feasibility of establishing a sectoral determination for the building sector
• the categories of employees to be covered by a possible sectoral determination
• determining the mechanism to be utilised for setting minimum wages and annual increases
• determining the factors to be taken into consideration when setting minimum wages
• determining the level at which minimum wages should be pegged
• any other conditions related to the operation within the sector.