The Zimbabwe Diamond Allied and Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU) has demanded wage reviews between US$400 and US$600 for mine workers and urged workers’ committees to bargain at the workers’ council level instead of waiting for the National Employment Council (NEC).
ZDAMWU secretary-general Justice Chinhema bemoaned the failure by employers to pay first-quarter salary arrears at a time when second-quarter wage negotiations should have been concluded. He said:
The reason for this travesty of justice on mine workers is because the first negotiations were concluded late in March when the payroll had already been processed.
It is disturbing to note that some mines are already applying for exemptions not to backdate the salaries.
… Our resolution as ZDAMWU is that as long as the mining sector is still paying these slave wages, workers will not rest.
As mine worker representatives we are not going to tire of pushing for a living wage in the range of US$400 to US$600.
Chinhema said as ZDAMWU, they were disappointed over employers’ failure to consider the COVID-19 allowances for mine workers when the sector was the only industry that remained on the ground and sustained other sectors during the lockdowns.