Your Voice Shapes National Wage Reform
Build One South Africa (BOSA) convened a stakeholder dialogue on the Fair Pay Bill as part of its effort to ensure that the proposed legislation was not only principled, but practical, inclusive, and grounded in real-world experience. The engagement brought together a diverse group of participants, including HR professionals, legal experts, labour practitioners, civil society organisations, and young jobseekers — each offering a unique perspective on how pay is determined, experienced, and contested in South Africa's labour market.
The dialogue created a platform for open and constructive engagement on one of the most under-addressed drivers of inequality: the use of salary history and the lack of transparency in pay-setting practices.
This dialogue ensures the Bill is:
Workable in real-world business environments
Clear processes for compliance
Robust and enforceable framework
Serving all South Africans fairly
Backed by broad stakeholder consensus
Importantly, the session moved beyond diagnosis and into solution-building. Stakeholders interrogated the technical aspects of the Bill, including how salary ranges should be determined, how transparency can be implemented without overburdening employers, and how the law can clearly distinguish between applicants and employees in its application.
The outcomes of the dialogue were consolidated into a stakeholder input process that directly informed the final drafting of the Bill. Meaningful wage reform cannot be developed in isolation — rather it must be shaped by those who understand the labour market from all angles. By opening the drafting process to stakeholders, BOSA ensured that the Fair Pay Bill reflects not only a commitment to justice, but a shared, collective effort to build a fairer and more transparent labour market for all South Africans.
After the session: