Escom workers threaten to strike
Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) employees have threatened to go on strike on December 1, a development that will likely further worsen power supply in the country.
Through their staff union, the employees say they would down their tools at the expiry of their notice period, which is November 30, served to Escom management and government.
A statement published in our sister newspaper, Weekend Nation of November 21, the workers said their position follows failure by Ministry of Labour, Youth and Manpower Development to reconcile the two parties on the necessity for a cut-off point and separation package upon the unbundling of the utility body back in June 2015.
This followed a model that was to be used to unbundle Escom that suggested the institution would cease to exist and two companies—one for generation and the other for distribution and transmission—would emerge, according to the workers.
They argued that after a considerable period of time and discussions, government adopted a different model for the unbundling that would maintain distribution and transmission units within the restructured Escom and include two more business units and separate company for generation of electricity.
“We, Escom Ltd staff, declared a dispute with and involved all necessary procedures for mediation as stipulated in the Labour Relations Act No 16 of 1996 with the full hope that the Principal Secretary for Labour, who is the only arbitrator [negotiator] in labour disputes, would facilitate a tripartite negotiation for a possible and amicable reconciliation, mediation and or arbitration of the labour dispute in question, but unfortunately the recommendations that were provided by a representative of the Principal Secretary of Labour [arbitrator] have not been followed through by those in authority,” reads the public notice signed by Escom Staff Union president Patrick Nadzanja and his secretary general Joseph Mweneva Kamwendo.
Yesterday, Escom deputy spokesperson George Mituka demanded a questionnaire which he indicated would only be responded to today.
