Zimbabwe News Update
zimsphere
3 min read
The zimbabwean mining sector, a cornerstone of the nation’s economy, is currently defined by a profound paradox: immense mineral wealth extracted at the expense of its workforce. From a labour perspective, the industry is mired in systematic violations, wage theft and a pervasive culture of precarious employment that actively undermines organized labour. This state of affairs is a direct reflection of the country’s consistently poor rating in global labour assessments, such as the ituc global rights index. A core grievance driving the humanitarian crisis in mining communities is the deliberate failure of large operators to honor basic employment contracts, most notably through repeated wage theft.
The experience of workers at mines under riozim limited provides a traceable and dire example: riozim operations (renco mine, cam and motor mine):workers at renco mine in masvingo and cam and motor mine in kadoma, along with employees at murowa diamonds, have repeatedly endured being placed on indefinite unpaid leave or going for five consecutive months without pay. This has been described as a ‘humanitarian crisis’ causing widespread hunger and school dropouts. In one instance, a labour court order concerning murowa diamonds was heavily criticized by workers for absolving the company of paying back-salaries and forcing a return to work without addressing the core issue of non-payment.
This is a clear indicator that corporate financial difficulties are being systematically shifted onto the shoulders of the most vulnerable workers bikita minerals:the lithium boom, heralded as a key to future growth, has been plagued by similar labour malpractices. At bikita minerals, the government has been forced to intervene and order temporary closures over a litany of offences, including the employment of illegal foreign immigrants and gross labour abuses. Workers report poor salaries, difficulties in securing basic off-days, and a tragic pattern of workplace fatalities due to neglect of safety standards like dust suppression.
The artisanal and small-scale mining (asm) workers:beyond the large companies, the estimated 500,000+ asm workers who produce over half of zimbabwe’s gold face the most immediate danger. These miners often work in poorly ventilated, collapsing shafts using toxic substances like mercury without any personal protective equipment (ppe). While unions are making efforts to formalize and organize this group, they remain largely excluded from the protection of labour law, exposed to extreme violence (often from machete-wielding gangs), and trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and unsafe labour. The question of why workers avoid joining a trade union is best answered by the calculated deployment of anti-labour tactics, which exploit the high unemployment and economic desperation in the country.
The scourge of labour-broking:this is a particularly insidious practice at major platinum group metals (pgm) producers like zimplats and mimosa. Labour-broking (or contracting) is a primary strategy used to bypass collective bargaining agreements and deny workers permanent employment benefits. Workers hired through these third-party contractors are placed on short-term or fixed-term contracts, creating a disposable, second-tier workforce. The fear of retaliation: for workers at companies like zimplats, mimosa, unki mines, the knowledge that their contract can be terminated instantly makes union participation a direct, career-ending risk. Casualisation of labour deters them from joining trade unions for fear of victimisation.
Covert resistance becomes the only safe form of dissent, as overt collective action is deemed too dangerous in this precarious employment climate. Systemic repression:the overarching political and judicial environment, reflected in zimbabwe’s low rating on the ituc global rights index (often a category 4: systematic violations), ensures thatattempts at large-scale organization are met with systemic restrictions on the right to strike and limited access to justice. This national climate reinforces the employers’ power to crush union efforts at the mine level. Source: zimsphere
