Collective Bargaining Agreement Zimbabwe National Water Authority Undertaking
ZINWA may not employ anyone under 16, and under-18s are barred from 24 listed hazardous jobs — including chemical handling, excavation, welding, borehole drilling, sewer work and night shift.
This Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Zimbabwe National Water Authority and the Zimbabwe Water Trade Union, registered under section 79 and published under section 80(1) of the Labour Act [Chapter 28:01], governs the employment of young persons in the ZINWA undertaking. It came into operation on the date of publication, 23 February 2024.
The agreement defines a child as anyone under 18, and defines child labour, the worst forms of child labour, hazardous work and light work in line with international standards.
The core rules: the undertaking prohibits employing anyone under 16, and the minimum age for engagement as an apprentice is also 16. Nobody under 18 may do hazardous work, or work other than as an apprentice or in conjunction with training at a vocational or technical training school. Under-18s are also barred from work that jeopardises or interferes with their education, work involving contact with hazardous substances, articles or processes, underground mining, work exposing them to electrically powered tools or cutting or grinding blades, work exposing them to excess heat, cold, noise or whole-body vibration, and night shift.
The agreement then lists 24 activities that count as hazardous work in a water authority setting: handling water treatment chemicals, pipe breakdown repairs, backwashing, desludging, excavation, pipe threading, taking samples at dam construction sites, inspections at outlet works and dam embankments, civil, mechanical and electrical repairs, X-ray tests on welded pipes, attending electrical faults, operating concrete mixers, concrete pouring, rigging, borehole drilling, borehole casing, pipeline pressure testing, handling drilling material, borehole capacity testing, welding, workshop tool and equipment lifting, machining and grinding, night shift, and sewer work.
The agreement was signed at Harare on 27 June 2023. It sets no fees and specifies no penalty of its own; enforcement runs through the Labour Act and the National Employment Council.
What changed
- ZINWA prohibits employing anyone under 16; minimum apprentice age set at 16
- Under-18s barred from hazardous work and from work other than apprenticeship or vocational training
- Under-18s specifically barred from underground mining, hazardous substances, power tools and blades, temperature, noise and vibration exposure, and night shift
- 24 named activities classified as hazardous work, from chemical handling and excavation to welding, borehole drilling and sewer work
- Agreement operative from the date of publication
Who this affects
- ZINWA managers doing hiring and apprentice recruitment
- Apprentices and young workers at water treatment plants and dams
- Zimbabwe Water Trade Union members and officials
- Contractors doing borehole drilling, welding and excavation for ZINWA
Plain-language summary — not legal advice. Always read the full instrument.