Civil servants petition govt on salary review

The Civil Service Trade Union (CSTU) has given government a seven-day ultimatum to implement promised mid-term salary review and immediately stop arbitrarily reduction of funding to ministries and departments.

The petition, dated March 27 2014, jointly signed by CSTU president Servace Sakala, secretary general Madalitso Njolomole and treasurer Josephy Mdambo,  has been addressed to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) following their meeting with Government Negotiating Team (GNT) on March 21 2014.

OPC spokesperson Arthur Chipenda yesterday confirmed that the petition reached their office. He said the responsible officials were expected to meet this week to chart the way forward on the union’s requests.

Njolomole said during a meeting with the GNT in June 2013, there was an understanding that there would be a consideration for a mid-year salary review during the Mid-term Budget Review meeting which has not taken place following suspension of budgetary support after revelations of theft of government resources at Capital Hill.

Reads the petition in part: “Therefore, civil servants are requesting government to immediately review their salaries to correspond with the cost of living.”

The union also condemned the reduced funding to ministries and departments as a result of the withdrawal of budgetary support, saying the development has negatively affected public service delivery and stalled government projects.

Among the projects at which government contractors abandoned the sites include the Treasury Cashier Office, Capital Hill Clinic, Maximum Prison at Chitedze in Lilongwe, several rural growth centres.

CSTU said, contractually, government had breached the terms of contracts which would in turn result in losing a lot of money to compensate the contractors.

Further reads the petition: “Civil servants demand that government should immediately negotiate with contractors on the most cost-effective measures that can minimise losses to government. Government should identify funds to such projects because the longer they stay government stands to lose more money through interest and devaluation.

“Civil servants demand Malawi Government to address the issues raised in this petition within seven days from the date of this petition. Failure to do that, civil servants have agreed to take unspecifed action.”

CSTU claimed government was failing to complete projects due to political interference, as a result, there was no standing budget.

The union has also demanded a speedy review of the disparities of salaries in the civil service which CSTU said are oppressive and promote a culture of elitism.

The seven-point petition also condemned the theft of government resources dubbed Cashgate for paralysing government operations and handling of the sale of the presidential jet, which Minister of Finance Maxwell Mkwezalamba said was battered for debts from buying ammunition.