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Harare, December 31, 2025 – As the curtain falls on a tumultuous 2025, the Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU) reflects on a year of profound struggles and unyielding resilience among mine workers who fuel Zimbabwe’s mining powerhouse.
Despite their tireless labour driving national economic growth, mine workers faced systemic exploitation, hazardous conditions, and policies that eroded their dignity.
Today, we honour their sacrifices and boldly chart a path forward under our rallying theme: Building Union Power, Strengthening Workers’ Voices in Solidarity, and Advancing Justice.
Enduring Challenges of 2025
Mine workers confronted a cascade of hardships that turned prosperity into peril.
Inflation-ravaged wages, already meagre, crumbled under relentless economic pressures, leaving families unable to afford basics like food, healthcare, and education.
Over-taxation compounded this misery, devouring what little remained of low salaries and pushing thousands into debt.
Job insecurity loomed large because of rampant casualisation of labour, where workers are signing short fixed-term contracts, some retrenchments, and months-long salary arrears at operations like RioZim operations, Anjin, and other mines.
Fatal accidents and injuries plagued unsafe workplaces, where inadequate safety gear, poor ventilation, and lack of oversight claimed countless lives, particularly in small-scale operations. In large mines, ventilation challenges are causing chronic health issues such as silicosis and respiratory diseases.
Safety and health in the mining sector remain dire, with absent medical insurance for the majority of mine workers, exposure to toxic chemicals, and no comprehensive occupational health programmes exacerbating worker suffering.
Retired workers, and those retiring, who dedicated decades to the industry faced numerous challenges, including victimisation and harassment, lack of decent pension benefits, and respect—their loyalty repaid with eviction threats and lack of alternative decent homes.
Strikes broke out as workers downed tools in desperation in some mines across the country, exposing gross unfair labour practices perpetrated against workers. Despite mining’s billions in exports, workers reaped poverty, embodying a stark betrayal of their contributions.
Welcoming the Incoming Minister of Mines
ZDAMWU welcomes the statement by the incoming Minister of Mines, Polite Kambamura, who has indicated a commitment to consult all stakeholders in shaping the sector’s future.
This pledge offers a glimmer of hope, and we earnestly urge the Minister to ensure mine workers are not sidelined but given a meaningful chance to be involved. True transformation demands workers’ direct input at the table—our lived experiences of exploitation and resilience must inform policies that deliver justice, not just promises.
Bold Plans for 2026
Building Union Power
Entering 2026, ZDAMWU has ignited an accelerated membership recruitment drive to swell our ranks, making us the indispensable voice for every mine worker in Zimbabwe, including retirees. We aim to unite fragmented forces, transforming isolation into collective might. Central to our agenda are serious reforms in the National Employment Council (NEC).
ZDAMWU wishes to see the creation of sub-sectors within the NEC through targeted amendments to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), enabling engagement or bargaining at sub-sector level for more favourable outcomes.
We will advocate for the alignment of collective bargaining agreements with current labour laws, and mechanisms to curb over-taxation that strips workers bare. Job security will be non-negotiable: ending casualisation, enforcing permanent contracts, and mandating severance protections against arbitrary layoffs.
Strengthening Voices in Solidarity
Solidarity fuelled our rise in alliances. ZDAMWU will forge alliances across unions and, in the region, amplify advocacy for robust safety and health policies and legislation—including mandatory PPE, regular inclusive inspections, on-site clinics, and compensation for occupational diseases—and launch anti-corruption campaigns exposing exploitative practices.
We will champion protection for retired workers through enforced anti-harassment protocols and benefit safeguards. Our 2026 agenda includes prioritising human rights due diligence across mining operations to uphold international standards and prevent abuses. We commit to deeper engagement with mining communities, building a strong, unified voice that amplifies local concerns alongside worker rights.
We extend our sincere thanks to the NEC administration, which will be opening new offices in Hwange and Mutare, a vital step towards accessibility. We urge them to consider establishing an office in Gweru as well, ensuring all industry stakeholders can access NEC services easily without undue challenges, fostering equitable participation across regions.
We acknowledge the statement from the Chinese Embassy on the urgent need to end all reported and unconfirmed instances of rampant abuse of mine workers by Chinese employers in Zimbabwe. This call for industrial harmony aligns with our vision; we urge immediate action to investigate, address, and eliminate such practices to ensure fair workplaces.
Advancing Justice for All
Justice demands accountability. We call on government, including the new Mines Minister, to ensure worker-friendly policies on safety, health, and retiree rights are enacted, and that laws are enforced to ensure employers honour fair pay and safety standards, as well as that authorities investigate wage theft, fatalities, and retiree victimisation.
No more tolerance for a system where miners’ blood oils the economy while they starve, or veterans are discarded.
To all mine workers: As we close 2025, celebrate the gift of life amidst the trials. End this year with hope in your hearts, praying for a brighter future in our industry where every worker earns a living wage that restores dignity and security. Your resilience inspires us all.
Fellow workers, retirees, employers, and policymakers: Join ZDAMWU in this crusade. In solidarity, we are unbreakable. United, we will build union power, amplify our voices, and deliver justice. The dawn of dignity rises—together, we triumph!
For immediate release.
JUSTICE CHINHEMA
ZDAMWU – General Secretary
0772976261 / 0717803553
