GMB workers threaten job action over US$30 salary

GRAIN Marketing Board (GMB) workers have threatened job action over poor salaries, alleging that the parastatal’s lowest employee was on earning equivalent of US$30 per month.

This was revealed in a notice addressed to the parastatal's management dated November 16, 2022, signed by GMB and Silo Food Industries Worker's Union secretary-general David Chigogo.

The workers gave GMB a 14day ultimatum to attend to their grievances.

"The employers have disregarded the prevailing economic environment in which most goods and services are pegged in US dollars. This has severely eroded the buying power of employees' salaries as evidenced by the lowest-paid employee earning a basic salary of $29 111.

“To make matters worse, there is no USD component to compensate for the meagre salary. This salary has been stagnant since April 2022. How do the employers expect employees to survive?" the notice read.

GMB workers are currently involved in the distribution of farming inputs for the 2022/23 farming season.

The job action is likely paralyse farming activities and affect agricultural programmes like Pfumvudza and the Presidential Input Scheme.

The workers blasted managers for ignoring their pleas despite working during weekends.

"Employees even come to work on Sundays in order to fulfil inputs distribution targets but their plea for salary review (or) payment of overtime in full and USD component has not been heard. The management has kept on procrastinating salary reviews hiding behind their principal citing no funding but employees are saying enough is enough," the workers said.

“If the employers are failing to value the services of employees, we are saying it is time to put tools down. Other parastatals have been awarded salary increments by the same principal.”