MARTIN MAWAYA
HARARE – The Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU) is calling on the National Employment Council (NEC) for the Mining Industry to hold an urgent meeting to consider a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for mine workers.
In a letter to the NEC general secretary, ZDAMWU Secretary General Justice Chinhema cited the “devastating effects of the Zimbabwean currency’s devaluation and the massive price hikes on basic commodities” as justification for the COLA.
“Mine workers are demanding USD$200.00 across the board as COLA, to compensate for currency devaluation,” Chinhema wrote.
The union argues that the recent economic developments, including currency devaluation and skyrocketing prices of basic commodities, have severely eroded mine workers’ purchasing power and standard of living.
“Mine workers’ salaries have been severely eroded,” the letter states. “Mine workers have already been earning below Poverty Datum Line and as such they are worse off than before.”
To address these challenges, ZDAMWU is proposing quarterly salary adjustments and that 90% of mine workers’ salaries be paid in US dollars to preserve their earnings.
The union is urging for a “prompt response” from the NEC, stating that “the patriotic and hardworking workers need to be cushioned without any delay.”
