Collective Bargaining Agreement: Welfare and Educational Institutions, 2026

This agreement covers a wide slice of the non-government sector: NGOs, trust, private and mission schools, mission hospitals and clinics, ECD centres, tertiary institutions run by churches, welfare organisations and religious administrative offices. It runs from 1 January to 31 December 2025.

Minimum wages are denominated in US dollars and set in six columns by institution type. At grade A1 the minimum is US$445.20 in NGOs, US$396.68 for independent trust schools and mission boarding schools, US$345.92 for private schools, mission hospitals and clinics and rural day schools, US$296.43 for private colleges and rural or trust ECDs, US$272.60 for religious presbyteries, convents and private ECDs, and US$247.66 for urban ECDs, welfare D institutions, boarding and urban day schools, tertiary institutions and religious administrative offices. The scale runs to grade C5, where the NGO minimum is US$1,397.23 and the lowest column is US$444.77.

On top of the wage, every grade in every column gets a housing allowance of US$150 a month and a transport allowance of US$80 — payable to employees who are not given free accommodation or free transport respectively. The NGO sector must pay in US dollars; other sectors may pay in US dollars or the ZWG equivalent at the rate under S.I. 185 of 2020 or the prevailing bank rate, whichever is greater.

Staff who have completed twelve months of continuous service get 1% of the prescribed monthly wage added for each completed year of service. Anyone already paid above their grade minimum keeps the cash difference, and more favourable existing wages and benefits cannot be withdrawn.

Allowances are specific. Subsistence away from home is US$10 each for breakfast, lunch, dinner and out of pocket. Overnight accommodation must be provided, and sleeping in a vehicle or bus does not count. Night shift pays 1% of the monthly salary per night worked. On a funeral, the employer covers any shortfall on the cost of a coffin where the employee has a policy, or 50% of the coffin where they do not.

Education allowances are among the most valuable terms: mission schools and hospitals pay 75% of tuition and boarding fees for two children at the school where the employee works (or the nearest school of the same denomination, and 100% where a local authority school's fees are lower than that 75%); ECD centres and creches pay 100% for two children; independent institutions and PVO special schools pay 75% of local authority or government school fees for up to three biological children.

Gratuity on termination is rewritten: from 10% of a monthly wage after three years of service, rising one percentage point per year to 42% after 35 years.

Levies are 2% from the employee and 2% from the employer to the NEC, and 4% of wages in union dues, all due by the 7th of the following month, remitted in the same currency in which wages were paid.

One timing point: the agreement was signed on 28 January 2025 for the 2025 calendar year but only gazetted on 10 April 2026, so for most employers this is a backdated obligation.