Sugar Industry Workers Demand 100% Pay Rise

Workers in Zimbabwe’s sugar industry are calling for a doubling of their current salaries following a sharp rise in inflation in the past month.

The Zimbabwe Sugar Milling Industry Workers Union (ZISMWU) president, Freedom Madungwe said that they last received an increment two years ago. He said:

We last got an increment about two years ago. Considering the inflationary pressures in the country, workers are finding it difficult to survive.

We want a 100 per cent salary increment which will see the least paid person getting 700 Zimbabwean bond notes. This is not even enough.

A worker at Triangle Limited, James Mutsamvi said nothing less than a 100 per cent pay hike will suffice. He said:

We want to live a decent life and be able to send our children to school. A 100 per cent salary increment would cushion us from the current economic hardships.

Workers in the sugar industry currently receive a reported RTGS$350 a month.
However, speaking to NewZimbabwe.com, Tongaat Hulett group chief executive, Sydney Mutsambiwa said that he could not comment on the reports since he had not received any proposal from the workers.

Reports indicate that 18 000 people are employed in the sugar industry with the majority working for Tongaat Hulett.

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• Mine Workers Get 80% Pay Rise

More: NewZimbabwe.com