Zimbabwe Mine Workers Divided Over Salary Increment
Jonga Kandemiiri
President of a faction of the National Mine Workers' Union of Zimbabwe faction says his union feels that the 5% increase is a pittance.
WASHINGTON DC —
Unions representing the country’s mine workers are sharply divided over a 5% salary increment agreed between one union and employers.
The National Mine Workers' Union of Zimbabwe said it is rejecting the 5% salary increase agreed between the Associated Mine Workers' Union of Zimbabwe and the Chamber of Mines Zimbabwe in April this year.
In a statement issued by a faction of the National Mine Workers Union of Zimbabwe, led by Tinashe Mugwira, the union said the 5% increment is “totally an insult”.
Mugwira said those who were involved in the negotiations did not fully consult the workers in the industry.
But an official with the Chamber of Mines, who did not want to be named because he was not allowed to speak with the media, told Studio 7 the chamber will not lose sleep over the threats to boycott the increment.
He said the National Mine Workers' Union of Zimbabwe is not a member of the National Employment Council that negotiates salaries for the mining industry.
President of another National Mine Workers' Union of Zimbabwe faction, Ndodana Sithole, said his union also felt that the 5% increase was a pittance, especially as the cost of living continues to rise.
Sithole said the mining industry was the only industry that was operating better than the other industries in the country at the moment.
“So if they tell us that they are giving us a 5% increment for us it’s a mockery,” added Sithole.
