WINDHOEK, Nov. 10 — Namibia’s current agricultural sector minimum wage of 2017 will be increased by 18 percent as from Jan. 1, 2022, according to Namibia Agricultural Labor Forum (NALF). The basic wage of a farmworker consists of a cash wage and a rations component. So the minimum cash wage will increase to $5.40 per hour, or $1,053 per month for a worker who works 45 hours per week, the NALF said in a statement.
“For those who do not receive the free rations portion, the ration allowance increases to $600 per month.
Thus, the value of the minimum basic wage of farmworkers will be $1,653 per month as from Jan. 1, 2022,” the NALF said.
According to the NALF, 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 utilize the bulk of their salaries for these commodities,” the NALF added.
NALF is a platform for collective bargaining minimum wage in the agricultural sector. – XINHUA
