Civil servants to discuss increment today
Civil servants at Capital Hill and other surrounding offices in Lilongwe will this morning convene at the hub of government business to chart the way forward regarding the 24 percent salary increment announced by government.
Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe announced in Parliament that government would give its employees a 24 percent salary increment, but the civil servants rejected the offer, describing it as too little.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) president Servace Sakala said the open meeting was aimed at updating civil servants on what the union had been discussing with the Government Negotiating Unit (GNU).
He said: “We want to update the civil servants on some new developments that have cropped up since government announced the 24 percent salary adjustment. We have taken a long time without meeting the people we represent and we thought it was proper that we give them an update on the matter.”
Sakala said the gathering was open to all Central Region-based civil servants who can afford to attend. He said CSTU leaders will convene similar meetings with civil servants in Blantyre, Zomba and Mzuzu.
However, the president said while negotiations were still going on, civil servants were impatient to know the position of the matter as Parliament is just remaining with a few days to rise.
“We hope we are talking to people who have ears to listen and our members of Parliament are following whatever is happening. We believe they will consider our plea to adjust upward the 24 percent before ending their deliberations because these civil servants are their constituents in various places,” said Sakala.
The Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU) also endorsed the civil servants’ rejection of the proposed percentage, saying it was surprising that government settled for such an offer comparing with the existing cost of living.
