By Own Correspondent

THE least paid general workers in the NGO sector will be smiling all the way to the bank following a recent salary increment approval which has pushed the lowest grade to US$445 per month.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) published under Statutory Instrument 53 of 2025   was entered into by the Welfare and Educational Institutions Employers Association representing the employer and the Zimbabwe Educational, Health, Scientific Social and Cultural Workers Union who were the employee’s representatives.

The agreement also compels the NGO sector to continue to pay salaries in United States Dollars whilst the other sectors shall pay in US$ or the ZWG equivalent in line with Statutory Instrument 185 of 2020.

The least paid employee in the NGO sector in grade A1 will be earning US$445 while those in mid-level grades like B3 to B5 will be taking home between US$700 00 to US$ 860.

The highest paid grades under categories like grades C4 and C5 will be taking home between US$1 200 and US$1397.A housing allowance of US$130 and Transport allowance of US$80 will be paid over and above the new salary thresholds.

The parties also agreed to increase salaries for workers in the Independent A and B Trust Schools ,Trust ECDS, Private ECDs , and Welfare D in a development which will see the least paid employees in grade A1 taking home US$360 and the highest paid employee earning US$647.

The Mission Boarding Schools and Religious Institutions employees will be taking home a low of US$314 and high of US$547 while the rural ECDs are now compelled to pay salaries ranging from a low of US$235 and a high of US$423.