Zimbabwean Mine Workers Push for $1,200 Minimum Wage in 2025

THE National Mine Workers Union of Zimbabwe (NMWUZ) is lobbying for a US$1,200 salary for the least paid employee in the sector amid erosion of earnings. NMWUZ president, Kurebwa Javangwe Nhomboka told the media recently that although all the metal prices of minerals have risen globally, workers in the mining sector are still earning salaries below the Poverty Datum Line (PDL). “The year, 2025 was once again a difficult and strenuous year for workers whose slave wages are still way below the PDL, making it difficult to fend for their families and cater for essential needs,” said Nhomboka. “The metal prices of all minerals mined in the country have risen on the international market but on the other hand, the salaries of workers in the mining sector have remained stagnant. “Henceforth as NMWUZ, we are demanding that the least paid worker in the mining sector gets $US 1200…that is for a general hand who is the least paid employee in the sector. The salary of workers in the mining sector is far much too low in comparison with their hard work and sacrifice they render to the capitalists employees,” said Nhomboka. He said NMWUZ will push that workers get production based bonuses increment of 100 percent. “On production bonuses, we are demanding an increase of 100 percent depending on targets set by companies.We have realised and researched that workers in this regard are sweating but their hard work has been in vain,” he said. The NMWUZ president said companies in the mining sector must formulate home ownership schemes for employees. “On home ownership schemes, our research has revealed that when a mining worker retires, he or she becomes a destitute. When the workers passes on, the family becomes destitute. We are, therefore, calling on companies to formulate a policy benefit that ensures that workers own houses as that will assist their dependants when they pass on. “Upon retirement, mine workers will have a place to live rather being destitutes.This scheme must benefit workers from a lower grade. “It is sad to note that in the mining sector, we still have a bottleneck education system that was one of the causes of the Second Chimurenga during the colonial era, 45 years after the attainment of our Independence,” he noted. “Top managers are getting privileged perks where the school fees of their children is fully paid for by companies while lower grades workers do not have that privilege….they pay schools fees and educational stationery for their children from their peanuts salaries. “This means that children of top managers are being groomed to manage children of general hands.That bottleneck education system can only be destroyed if companies introduce a school fees for all policy. Even if children of general hand workers do not enroll at schools where children of top managers are learning, their school fees and educational stationery need to paid for by companies, rather than for the lowly paid workers to fork out from their low salaries.This will create equal opportunities for the children in future,” the NMWUZ president was quoted saying.