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Labour Relations Act, 1995 (Act No. 66 of 1995)

Notices

Bargaining Council for the Furniture Manufacturing Industry

Extension to Non-Parties of the Main Collective Agreement

Chapter 1

14. Remuneration

 

14.1 Wages

No employer shall pay and no employee shall accept wages lower than those prescribed in the Addendums to this Agreement.

 

14.2 Set-off of wages
14.2.1 No employee shall, while in the employ of an employer, give to, and no such employer shall receive from such employee, any gift, bonus, loan guarantee or refund either in cash or in kind which will in effect amount to a set-off of the wages which must in terms of this Agreement be paid to such employee.
14.2.2 No employee shall be required as part of his contract of service to board or lodge with his employer, or at any place nominated by his employer, or to purchase any goods or hire property from his employer.

 

14.3 Hourly rates of pay

All work performed by employees shall be paid for at an hourly rate, which hourly rate shall be determined by dividing the employee's actual weekly wage by 44 or by such lesser hours ordinarily worked by the establishment. ·

 

14.4 Basis of payment

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, payment for all work done shall be at not less than the hourly rates of pay as prescribed for the actual occupation skills level of the operation or operations performed.

 

14.5 Employees engaged in more than one occupation skills level

An employee who is employed during any one day on work for which different hourly rates of pay are prescribed shall be paid for all the hours worked on such day at the higher or highest hourly rate of pay prescribed for such work.

 

14.6 Wage payment procedure

Employers may elect to pay wages by means of electronic transfer to employees' bank accounts or by means of cash only. Wages paid in cash shall be paid directly to the employee.

14.6.1 The following provisions shall be applicable to the electronic transfer of wages:
14.6.1.1 Wages shall be deposited into employees' bank accounts on pay day each week.
14.6.1.2 Employees shall be handed pay slips every pay day which shall reflect the name and address of the employer and the name of the employee. Pay slips shall also reflect the amount of money deposited into the  employee's  bank account  and how such  an amount was arrived at.
14.6.2 The following provisions shall be applicable to the cash payment of wages: Wages shall be paid to employees on pay day each week.  All cash shall be handed to employees in sealed envelopes endorsed with the name  and address of the employer and the name of the employee, and shall contain a statement reflecting the amount of money contained therein and how such amount was arrived at.

 

General Provisions:

14.6.3 The pay day of every establishment shall be on Friday each week. Where Friday is a non-working day, the pay day shall be the last working day preceding that Friday.
14.6.4 No premium for the training of an employee shall be charged or accepted by the employer: Provided that this clause shall not apply to training schemes for which the employer is legally required to contribute.
14.6.5 No wage deductions of any kind shall be made from the amount due to an employee other than for the following:
14.6.5.1 Any deduction for which an employer is legally or by order of any competent court required or permitted to make;
14.6.5.2 with the written consent of the employee, alternative deductions for life insurance, medical schemes or pension funds/provident funds;
14.6.5.3 deductions for contributions or subscriptions of the employees' trade union(s);
14.6.5.4 deductions in terms of this Agreement or any other agreement administered by the Council.

 

14.7 Remuneration for overtime and work on a Sunday
14.7.1 All time worked in excess of the ordinary weekly working hours of the establishment, other than time worked on a Sunday, up to and not exceeding 10 hours per week, shall be regarded as overtime and an employee shall be paid for such work at a rate of one and a half times his hourly rate for such hours.
14.7.2 For all overtime worked exceeding 10 hours per week and all time worked on a Sunday, an employee shall be remunerated at a rate of double his hourly rate for such hours.
14.7.3 Any time worked on a Sunday may not be used to make up for ordinary time lost.

 

14.8 Remuneration for work on public holidays

Any employee who works on a paid public holiday shall be remunerated for the hours worked on that day at his normal rate of pay in addition to the hours paid for that paid public holiday and shall further be paid an allowance of 33% of his hourly rate of pay for all those hours worked on such a day.

 

14.9 Remuneration for time worked in

An employer may, at its sole discretion, work time in to a maximum of 3 days per year (January to December),  in lieu of normal working time that will be lost, owing to the closure of the establishment for religious holidays, or for any other reason. All employees concerned shall be paid their ordinary rates of pay, provided that the time expected to be lost shall be worked in prior to such closure and provided that an establishment's affected employees, were consulted prior to the working in of time. The payment of wages for the time worked in must be made to the employees concerned during the same pay week, when the time was lost.

 

14.10 Payment of night shift allowance

A night shift allowance, which will provide for meal and transport costs, is payable to an employee where the employee is employed between 18:00 and 06:00 at the following rates of pay:

14.10.1 Employee employed prior to 1 July 2012

The employer shall pay the employee his ordinary rate of pay, plus a 17.5% night shift allowance.

14.10.2 Employee employed as from 1 July 2012

The employer shall pay the employee his ordinary rate of pay, plus a 13% night shift allowance.

 

14.11 Set-off against annual wage increases

Should a performance agreement be concluded at an establishment, such a performance agreement may be used as a set-off against annual wage increases, subject to union approval and/or notification to the Council.

 

14.12 Subsistence allowance

An employer shall, in addition to any other remuneration due, pay his employee who, on any journey undertaken in the performance of his duties, is absent from his place of residence and his employer's establishment for any period extending over one or more nights, a subsistence allowance of not less than that prescribed in ADDENDUM 2 or ADDENDUM 3 of this Agreement.