26 Feb 2023

Member of Parliament for Nkange, Dr Never Tshabang says the high cost of living has led to moral degradation in society, especially in urban areas as people are now forced to engage in unorthodox ways of making money to supplement for basic needs.

It was against such a backdrop that Dr Tshabang urged government to introduce a living wage in place of a minimum wage.

Tabling the motion recently, the legislator said the cost of living in Botswana was increasing at such a high rate annually that people could hardly survive on minimum wage, which he said was very low.

“Poverty and inequality are very high in Botswana.

In 2019 statistics indicated that the poverty rate was at six per cent, increasing to 20.8 per cent in 2022.

Such are results of low pays due to minimum wage,” he said.

He said experts engaged by the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) in 2019 indicated that a living wage, which they advocated for, should be set at a minimum of P3 000 per month, which he said was reasonable looking at the fact that by then, the economy was forecasted to grow by an average between six and eight per cent annually.

He argued that a living wage would enable many Batswana to lead a more decent lives than a minimum wage as it was adjustable to living challenges.

“A living wage would enable many Batswana to survive against challenges such as high rentals, expensive foods and the ever increasing price of fuel.

A minimum wage, however, would not be able to cater for such as it is determined by government without any research on the required standard of living,” he said.

He lamented that in setting the minimum wage, government did not even consult the workers’ unions, which meant that the set amount was unfair from the start.

He added that he was alive to some arguments that a minimum wage did not prohibit employers to pay more that the set amount, but it was highly unlikely that any employer would pay more than the legally required amount without being compelled.

Palapye MP, Mr Onneetse Ramogapi supported the motion, saying contrary to beliefs, no employers would eat from their profits by willingly paying more than the required minimum wage, unless compelled by legislation.

“A living wage would then suffice because it would be compelling.

I even suggest that the law should require companies to pay employees based on annual turn-over, such that those making millions would be compelled to pay more that the set living wage,” Mr Ramogapi said.

For his part, Nata/Gweta MP, Mr Polson Majaga did not support the motion, arguing that even though it had good intentions, its timing was suspicious.

“This is not the first time that such a motion is brought before Parliament.

It usually surfaces around this time towards the general elections with the difference just being in its crafting,” Mr Majaga said. ENDS