Collective Bargaining Agreement Agricultural Industry

This registered collective bargaining agreement for the sugarcane subsector, published under section 80(1) of the Labour Act, sets minimum monthly wages backdated to 1 January 2024. It was signed at Harare on 16 February 2024 and gazetted only in December 2025.

The new minimums run from US$125 a month at grade A1, US$140 at A2 and US$150 at A3, through US$166 at B1, US$180 at B2, US$199 at B3, US$217 at B4 and US$241 at B5, to US$259 at C1 and US$285 at C2. Each replaces a lower former minimum — A1 rises from US$120 and C2 from US$274.

Payment is split. A US dollar component is paid in USD (US$103 at A1 rising to US$234 at C2) and the balance is paid in Zimbabwe dollars, converted from the indexed US dollar figure at the interbank rate prevailing on the 20th day of the month for which the wage is due. The agreement also records the conversion at the 16 February 2024 rate of US$1:12 597.5820 for the schedule's Zimbabwe dollar column.

Employers or employees may apply to the National Employment Council for exemption or partial exemption from the schedule, with reasons, within 14 days of the date of the agreement.

The agreement is binding on all organisations within the agricultural industry, not only the signatories. Note the currency: the Zimbabwe dollar figures in the schedule are ZWL amounts from early 2024, before the ZiG, so the operative rule for a current payroll is the conversion mechanism rather than the printed local-currency column.