Collective Bargaining Agreement- National Employment Council for the Air Transport Industry (NECATI)
Backdated minimum wages for the air transport industry rise in four steps, from a ZWL112 700,00 basic in March 2023 to US$221,45 from May 2024, with housing at US$95 and transport at US$45 — every tabulated period had already ended before this was gazetted.
This registered agreement sets minimum wages for the air transport industry across four periods, all of them in the past. It was signed on 18 April 2024 and gazetted on 24 April 2026, and the last period it covers ended on 30 November 2024.
The steps are: from 1 March 2023, minimum basic up 38% from ZWL112 700,00 to ZWL155 526,00, housing up 20% from US$50 to US$60, transport held at US$40 and the COVID allowance at US$75. From 1 May 2023, basic up 20,24% to ZWL187 000,00 and housing up 33,33% to US$80. From 1 January 2024, basic up 15% from US$187 to US$215, housing up 5,6% to US$95, transport up 12,5% to US$45. From 1 May 2024, basic up 3% to US$221,45 with the other allowances unchanged.
The currency mechanics matter as much as the figures. The ZWL187 000,00 basic was indexed to US$187 using the RBZ auction rate of 20 April 2023 (1 000,00), and employers were then to convert at the prevailing auction rate. Housing was US$80 for May 2023 and US$90 after that. From May 2024 employers are encouraged to pay basic salary 70:30 in US dollars and ZiG, and those who cannot pay in foreign currency use the prevailing auction rate for the ZiG equivalent.
Because the agreement is deemed to have come into operation on the tabulated dates, employers who paid below these minima during 2023 and 2024 are exposed to arrears claims. The agreement is silent on how or by when any shortfall is to be settled.
Two of the tables run to "31st April" — a date that does not exist. The instrument does not say whether 30 April or 1 May was intended.
The agreement must be read together with SI 55 of 1992, 240 of 1992, 217 of 1994, 61 of 2015, 81 of 2017, 118 of 2017, 26 of 2019, 244 of 2020 and 245 of 2021.
What changed
- From 1 March 2023: minimum basic up 38% from ZWL112 700,00 to ZWL155 526,00; housing allowance up 20% from US$50 to US$60
- From 1 May 2023: minimum basic up 20,24% to ZWL187 000,00, indexed to US$187 at the RBZ auction rate of 20 April 2023 (1 000,00); housing up 33,33% to US$80, then US$90 from June 2023
- From 1 January 2024: minimum basic up 15% from US$187 to US$215; housing up 5,6% to US$95; transport up 12,5% from US$40 to US$45
- From 1 May 2024: minimum basic up 3% from US$215 to US$221,45; housing, transport and COVID allowances unchanged
- COVID allowance held at US$75 throughout all four periods
- From May 2024 employers are encouraged to pay basic salary 70:30 in US dollars and ZiG
- Gazetted 24 April 2026, roughly 17 months after the last tabulated period closed on 30 November 2024
Who this affects
- employers in the air transport industry bound by NECATI
- members of the National Airways Workers Union (NAWU)
- members of the Zimbabwe Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Association (ZAMEA)
- members of the Air Transport Union (ATU)
- payroll and HR staff at airlines and ground handlers
Plain-language summary — not legal advice. Always read the full instrument.