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Malawi Airlines staff plan strike

Employees of Malawi Airlines are planning to stage a strike from tomorrow to force management approve a new proposed salary structure which will see them get a staggered 100 percent increment.

In a letter dated October 25 2021 signed by Transport and General Workers Union general secretary Ronald Mbewe, the employees have given management two options.

Passengers disembark from Malawi Airlines

The first is to raise the staff salaries by 70 percent for the period July to December this year and 30 percent increment from March to June 2022.

The second is for the company to increase the salaries by 60 percent for the period July to December this year and effect a 40 percent increment from March to June 2022.

Reads the letter in part: “In the interest of time and progress, the union demands that management and the remuneration committee of the board should call for an emergency meeting to discuss the options of implementation plan for new salary restructuring in the next seven days from the date of this letter failing which the workers have no option but calling for an industrial action after expiry of the set period.”

In the letter, the workers claim that the workers union, management and Ministry of Labour officials met on September 9 2021 where a consensus was reached that the two parties meet separately and discuss how implementation of the new salary structure will be done.

In a telephone interview, Mbewe said they are justified to proceed with the strike despite the company struggling financially, pointing out that their concerns date back to 2019.

He said management has not been honouring its part despite talks.

In January this year, the workers also went on a strike but management moved quickly to commit to resolve the issues. Later in May, the staff suspended another planned strike over the same issues after they agreed with management to give dialogue a chance.

In a separate telephone interview, Malawi Airlines chief executive officer Laeke Tadese said the airline’s business will not likely be disrupted because there were some employees who are not part of those canvassing for the strike.

He said: “According to findings of management, there are some employees who are not part of the strike so we can assure people that there will be no disruptions of operations if they indeed go on strike.”

But Tadese said the company is keen on resolving issues with the employees.

In a separate interview, Ministry of Labour spokesperson Christina Mkutumula said the ministry is also aware of the impending strike.

She said: “We are aware [of the strike] since the law requires that before going on strike, a union is supposed to give a seven-day notice to the other party and the PS [Principal Secretary] for Labour. The ministry has since received the notice of the strike.”

Recently, the board of directors of Malawi Airlines resolved to liquidate the company due to a bad financial status. The company owes K13.8 billion in debt and continues to make losses.

But President Lazarus Chakwera decided to have the airline recapitalised.

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