What’s a fair wage in Zimbabwe?
I feel these gazetted wages are fair on the employee as these domestic workers deserve the best as well. One thing people should realise is out there in SA, the States, Britain etc, hama dzedu mamiads and they have been sending money back home & they tell you kuti ndirikutambira zvinoenderana neni. Isusu muno muZim we feel a maid mumwe munhuwo tinomuoona as a second class citizen. These domestic workers are abused mudzimba umo & on top of that opihwa mari shoma. On the other hand these gazetted wages are not fair on the employer because, the monthly salaries that people are earnign are not enough. One can’t spare a $100 on a maid then arnd $100 for ZESA then another $100 on your water bills yave marii, $300, tell me who can afford to dispose such huge amounts on a monthly basis, apa hatina kutaura rent coz majority of the people are tenants. The equation is just not working out. Hameno ministry of labour kuti ukufugnei but I feel they should adjust these salaries across the board, munhu wese needs an increment.
- Sandra, Kubatana subscriber
In the last edition of our Kubatana newsletter we included the recently gazetted wage increases for domestic workers in Zimbabwe. Pretty much unlivable wages don’t you think?
But the response that we got was unanimous in saying that wages are so low across the board that its unsurprising that employers can’t afford to pay domestic workers more. What do you think?
Government has set wages and conditions of service for domestic workers in a move that will result in the highest-paid such worker earning $100 per month. The new wages and working conditions were approved by Cabinet recently and are with effect from October
Domestic workers – including child minders, cooks and gardeners – will now be paid between $85 and $100. Workers not residing with their employers are now entitled to accommodation, transport, electricity and fuel or cooking allowances. A yard worker or gardener will now get $85 per month or a weekly wage of $19,60, while a cook or housekeeper is now entitled to $90 per month or $20,79 per week.
Those domestic workers looking after the disabled had their wages pegged at $95 per month or $21,94 per week.
Some domestic workers with Red Cross certificates or similar qualification who take care of the disabled and the aged are paid $100 or $23,10 per week. Those who do not stay with their employers are now entitled to monthly allowances of $50 accommodation, $26 for transport, $5 for lights, $5 for fuel or cooking and $5 for water.
~ An extract from The Herald, 29 September 2011