Mine Workers Demand Pay Rise, Bonuses and Social Protections

Zimbabwe’s mine workers, through NMWUZ, are demanding a US$1,200 minimum wage, higher bonuses and stronger social protections, citing rising mineral prices and worsening living conditions (image source)

HARARE — The National Mine Workers Union of Zimbabwe (NMWUZ) has launched a forceful campaign demanding substantial pay increases and improved social protections for the country’s lowest-paid mine employees, arguing that wages have been eroded even as global mineral prices climb.

Addressing journalists, NMWUZ president Nhomboka described 2025 as “a difficult and strenuous year” for mine workers, many of whom earn well below the national poverty datum line. He said rising commodity prices have not translated into better pay for frontline workers, leaving families unable to meet basic needs despite record revenues in some mineral subsectors.

At the centre of the union’s demands is a minimum monthly wage of US$1,200 for the lowest-paid category, typically general hands and entry-level mine workers. Nhomboka said the figure reflects a baseline for decent living standards and is non-negotiable in the union’s forthcoming bargaining agenda.

(image source)

“Workers are the backbone of production. Their sacrifices must be recognised in their pay,” he said.

The union is also pressing for a 100 percent increase in production-based bonuses, to be paid when company targets are met. Nhomboka argued that current bonus structures fail to reward productivity fairly and that linking pay more directly to output would incentivise performance while sharing gains more equitably.

Beyond immediate pay demands, NMWUZ is pushing for structural reforms to protect workers’ long-term welfare. The union wants mining companies to introduce homeownership schemes for lower-grade employees, arguing that housing security would protect families when workers retire or die.

“Too often, when a miner retires or passes on, the family is left destitute. A homeownership policy would provide stability and dignity,” Nhomboka said.

Education equity is another priority. The union criticised what it called a bottleneck education system that privileges children of senior managers while lower-paid workers must fund school fees from meagre salaries. NMWUZ is urging companies to adopt policies that cover school fees and learning materials for all employees’ children, to level the playing field and break intergenerational cycles of disadvantage.

The union’s proposals come amid growing tensions between labour and management in Zimbabwe’s mining sector, where profitability and export performance have improved but worker incomes have lagged. Mining companies have not publicly responded to the union’s demands, but industry sources say firms are likely to cite global cost pressures, operational margins and the need for negotiated settlements.

Labour analysts say the NMWUZ campaign could reshape sector negotiations if it secures broad worker support and aligns with wider calls for social protection. For now, the union has signalled readiness to pursue collective bargaining and, if necessary, industrial action to press its case — a prospect that could test relations between companies, government and organised labour in a sector central to Zimbabwe’s economy.