Collective Bargaining Agreement Rural District Councils Sector

This amends the 2017 rural district councils agreement (S.I. 87 of 2017) with two backdated wage steps, and it substitutes the Third Schedule outright.

From 1 May 2025 every grade goes up by US$65. From 1 August 2025 the food hamper is abolished and a minimum of US$82 is added to basic salary in its place. Together those take the bottom of grade 1 from US$310 to US$375 and then to US$457 a month, and the top of grade 9 from US$975 to US$1,040 and then to US$1,122. Councils already paying above the agreed minimum must continue to do so, and any council still owing food hampers from before the agreement must clear those arrears.

Housing and transport allowances are unchanged at US$80 each for grades 1 to 6, US$90 for grade 7, US$100 for grade 8 and US$110 for grade 9.

Two money rules matter beyond the pay table. The local currency portion of NEC and trade union dues is converted at the official interbank rate plus ZWG 6 — so at an official rate of ZWG 27 to the dollar, dues are converted at 33. And arrears owed to the NEC or the union attract 10% interest, which may be waived if a payment plan is agreed and kept to.

There is also a rule that protects employees against currency erosion in disputes: an employer who owes an employee anything arising from a contract of employment dispute must pay at the prevailing salary rate, not the rate that applied when the dispute arose, however long ago that was.

One point to check against the parent agreement: this instrument states that from 1 January 2025 early retirement is at 65 and normal retirement at 70, while the consolidated RDC agreement gazetted alongside it (S.I. 33 of 2026) sets 60, 65 and 70. The two were signed at different times and the instruments do not say which prevails.