BULAWAYO — Zimbabwe’s mine workers are not happy with the minimum wages being offered by miners but have ruled out collective job action to force a review, the Association of Mine Workers of Zimbabwe president Edmund Ruzive said on Wednesday.
The workers received a 5% salary increase early this year, raising the minimum wage to $238, with a review scheduled for next year.
Ruzive said while most mining companies were operating profitably, they were failing to remunerate workers accordingly.
“The platinum sector is doing well. They are paying above the minimum wage, but the problem is in the gold sector. About 70% of mines in Zimbabwe are in gold but most of them are not paying well and consistently,” he said.
Ruzive said the union was watching events in South Africa’s platinum belt, where workers have been on an 18-week strike for better wages, but ruled out similar action.
The impact of the work stoppage was underscored by data yesterday that showed South Africa’s economy shrank in the first quarter of this year, the first contraction since a 2009 recession, as mining output plummeted by 24,7%, its steepest drop in half a century.
“Our situations are different, even economically,” Ruzive said.
“We have no plans for such strikes but workers are watching with interest what is happening with our neighbours. I hope employers take this issue seriously because you never know, one day workers even here might say enough is enough.”
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