Mbabane – The Honourable Minister of Labour and Social Security, Phila Buthelezi, has announced the 2025/2026 wages regulations, with fifteen of eighteen Wages Regulation Orders already published.
“The reviewed Wages Regulation Orders provide improved sector-based basic minimum terms and conditions of service, including cost of living adjustments (COLA). These reviews are the product of negotiations between employers and workers in the respective sectors, as facilitated through the various Wages Councils appointed by the Ministry in terms of section 6 of the Wages Act, 1964,” Minister Buthelezi said.
Three Wages Regulation Orders remain pending: the Media Industry, Manufacturing and Processing Industry, and Textile and Apparel Industry. The Minister explained:
- Media Industry – “The parties agreed in 2023 to a multi-year wage negotiation framework spanning three years.”
- Manufacturing and Processing Industry – “Negotiations were not finalised as the relevant Gazette was only issued in early 2025. Consequently, the parties agreed that negotiations for the 2026 period would be undertaken during the current year to allow for an annual gap between gazettes.”
- Textile and Apparel Industry – “The Regulation of Wages (Textile and Apparel Industry) Order, 2025 was published in July 2025. Negotiations for the 2026 period will be undertaken accordingly.”
For the fifteen published orders, councils have agreed on basic minimum wage adjustments and terms of employment as follows:
- Agriculture Industry – 6% across the board
- Building and Construction Industry – 8.5% across the board
- Domestic Employees Industry – 7% across the board; 3.5% increase for employees earning above the prescribed minimum wage at the time of publication
- Forestry and Forest Industry – 10% across the board
- Funeral Undertakers Industry – 4% across the board
- Hotel and Catering Industry – 8.5% across the board
- Manufacture and Sale of Handicraft Industry – Categories 1 & 2: 10%; Categories 3 & 4: 8.5%
- Mining and Quarrying Industry – A1 and A2: 10%; B1, B2, B3: 9%; C1, C2: 8%
- Micro-Money Lenders Industry – 6% across the board; introduction of a lunch-out allowance of E70 within a 15-kilometre radius
- Pre-School and Day-Care Centres Industry – Employees earning above E2,000: 7.2%; below E2,000: 9.2%
- Motor Engineering Industry – 6% across the board
- Retail, Hairdressing, Wholesale and Distributive Trades Industry – 6% across the board; Category B repealed and expunged from the Gazette
- Road Transportation Industry – 5.5% across the board; E109.50 per day allowance for Bulk Vehicle Operators
- Schools and Other Educational Institutions Support Staff Industry – 4.5% across the board
- Watching and Protective (Security) Industry – 5% across the board
For the Textile and Apparel Industry, the 2025 Order published in July 2025 included:
- SMEs – 7.39% across the board
- CMTs – 12% across the board
- FOBs – 10% across the board
Minister Buthelezi encouraged all stakeholders to prepare for the implementation of these revised terms to ensure smooth compliance across sectors.
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