ZIMBABWE Law and Practice Contributed by: Ruvimbo T L Matsika and Tatenda Nyamayaro, Wintertons
Generally, employees work an eight- or nine-hour day, with shift workers in some industries working up to 12 hours per day. In terms of Section 14C of the Labour Act, an employee must have at least 24 hours of continuous rest per week. Employers may permit their employees to work on a flexitime basis. This is, however, not regulated. Contracts of employment for part-time workers must stipulate the hours that they are required to work per day, week or month, as well as the applicable remu - neration. As mentioned in 1.2 Employment Con- tracts , employers and employees may also enter into contracts for hourly work – under the terms of which the employee will be paid only for the hours actually worked (see 5.3 Other New Manifestations for further detail). Overtime Overtime for employees who are subject to a CBA is regulated in terms thereof. In some industries, the employer may compel its employees to work over - time, whereas in others the employer may only ask its employees to do so. Managerial employees are gen - erally not entitled to overtime pay unless the employ - ment contract provides for it. Overtime pay is usually calculated at a rate that is higher than the ordinary hourly wage – in some cases, it is up to double the regular hourly wage. Employees in some industries may also be compensated for over - time by way of time off corresponding to the overtime worked, calculated at a rate that is generally higher than the actual overtime worked. 1.4 Compensation Section 20 of the Labour Act empowers the govern - ment minister responsible for the administration of the Labour Act to promulgate a statutory instrument specifying minimum wages and benefits for any class of employees in any undertaking or industry. The Labour (Specification of Minimum Wages) Notice 1996 (Statutory Instrument 70 of 1996) was gazetted in accordance with and to give effect to Section 20 of the Labour Act. In terms thereof, the minister speci - fies the minimum wage that should be paid to certain groups of employees, with the exception of:
• employees who are subject to a National Employ - ment Council agreement; • employees in the agricultural sector; and • domestic workers. The minimum wage was last reviewed by Statutory Instrument 186 of 2024, which came into effect on 22 November 2024. In addition to Section 20 of the Labour Act, Section 74 (2) of the same Act allows registered trade unions and registered employer organisations or federations thereof to negotiate and agree on rates of remunera - tion and minimum wages for different grades and types of occupations. The resultant agreed wages are recorded in industry- or sector-specific CBAs. Those CBAs made under Section 74 of the Labour Act are binding on all employers and employees in the sector or industry to which the agreements relate. Neither the Labour Act nor the Minimum Wage Regu - lations make it compulsory for employers to pay a bonus or 13th-month salary. However, some CBAs – such as the CBA for the Banking Undertaking (SI 273/00) – make it compulsory for employers to pay a 13th-month bonus. In all other cases, the entitlement to a bonus is a discretionary matter that is regulated by the terms of the contract between the parties. 1.5 Other Employment Terms Vacation Leave Under the terms of Section 14A of the Labour Act, an employee who would have completed their first year of service with an employer is entitled to fully paid vacation leave at the rate of one calendar month per year or two-and-a-half days per month. An employee who has no accrued vacation leave may take unpaid An employee is entitled to paid special leave not exceeding 12 days per calendar year under the terms of Section 14B of the Labour Act. An employee may be allowed to take special leave for the following rea - sons: • certified contact with an infectious disease; vacation leave. Special Leave
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