Tourism workers, employers reach pay deal

By The Southern Eye | Feb. 21, 2014

Tourism workers and employers have agreed salary increments of 5,5% for the high earning employees and 45,5% for the lowest paid workforce, the industry’s union has said.

VICTORIA FALLS – Tourism workers and employers have agreed salary increments of 5,5% for the high earning employees and 45,5% for the lowest paid workforce, the industry’s union has said.

Zimbabwe Tourism and Allied Workers Union secretary general Penel Chinoda confirmed the deal, which was reached at a weekend meeting in Victoria Falls.

Initial talks broke down when the two parties failed to reach a deal in January.

The tourism sector is divided into two sections — Sector one for mainly hotel and lodge employees and Sector two for mostly those in conservation, safari and wildlife operations.

With the increments, workers in lowest grade in Sector one will now earn $103 from $70 while the lowest paid in Sector two take home $285 from $275.

These salaries do not include allowances and other packages.

Employees were asking for increments of between 130% and 236% to bring them closer to the poverty datum line figure of $535.

The tourism sector is Zimbabwe’s third highest foreign currency earner after mining and agriculture, earning $851 million in 2013 but is among the lowest paying industries.