Maseru, Apr. 03 — The government has gazetted a new minimum wage giving all sectors a 5 percent wage hike for the 2025 / 2026 financial year.
The new salaries are effective from this month, April.
This new wage increment means that the factory workers wages will range between M2,724 and M3,041 while for construction workers will get between M3,226 and M5,664.
The wholesale and retail sector, workers will get between M3,088 and M3,276 while in other small businesses in retail, workers will go home with M2,792 and M2,950.
On the other hand, for the hospitality sector the wages will range between M2,779 and M3,058 while domestic workers will get M872 to mention a few.
Speaking in an interview, Construction, Mining, Quarrying and Allied Workers Union (CMQ) Secretary General, Mr. Robert Mokhahlane said that they embrace the increment as unions because for the first time unions together with employers agreed on this increment aligning with the inflation rate.
“Though the 5 percent is lower than what we initially wanted, we are glad that for the first time the employers and us reached a consensus for the benefit of the workers. If going forward we can continue working together then protests could be a thing of the past,” he said.
He, however, stated that from now on they are working on having a bargain council to prepare for the future.
Meanwhile, for the year 2024 / 25, factory workers had an increment of 5 percent and workers in construction were awarded 7 percent while other sectors still outside the civil service were given a 6 percent salary increment.
Civil servants will on the other hand get a 2 percent increment.
Ends / AT/TL
