Collective Bargaining Agreement Agricultural Industry
Timber subsector minimum wages, gazetted now but effective 1 January 2023: US$65 a month at A1 rising to US$129 at C2, of which US$40-equivalent is paid in local currency at the interbank rate.
This registered collective bargaining agreement for the timber subsector of the agricultural industry sets minimum monthly wages with effect from 1 January 2023. It was signed at Mutare on 8 February 2023 and gazetted in December 2025.
The minimum wage is built from two components: a portion fixed in US dollars (US$65) payable in Zimbabwe dollars, and a further portion of US$40 — the schedule shows the split for each grade, with the local-currency portion converted at the interbank rate prevailing on the 20th day of the month for which the wage is due.
By grade the new minimums are US$65 at A1, US$70 at A2, US$75 at A3, US$82 at B1, US$89 at B2, US$95 at B3, US$103 at B4, US$112 at B5, US$121 at C1 and US$129 at C2, against former minimums effective 1 October 2022 of US$50 at A1 rising to US$99 at C2.
The schedule's Zimbabwe dollar column is calculated at the 20 January 2023 interbank rate of US$1:746.6113, which is a historical ZWL figure; the operative rule for any current payroll is the monthly conversion mechanism, not that printed column.
Establishments or employees may apply to the National Employment Council for exemption or partial exemption within 14 days of the date of the agreement. The agreement binds all organisations within the agricultural industry.
What changed
- Minimum monthly wages from US$65 (A1) to US$129 (C2), effective 1 January 2023
- Wage split into a US$65 component payable in local currency and a US$40 component
- Local-currency conversion uses the interbank rate on the 20th of the month the wage is due
- Exemption applications must reach the NEC within 14 days of the agreement
- Binding on all organisations in the agricultural industry
Who this affects
- Timber plantations and sawmilling employers
- Timber subsector workers in grades A1 to C2
- Payroll administrators in the timber industry
Plain-language summary — not legal advice. Always read the full instrument.