‘Malawi’s civil servants paid’

The Civil Service Trade Union (CSTU) on Tuesday said it has so far not received reports of public servants in Malawi who have not yet received their December 2012 salaries.

The development follows reports that nearly half of civil servants, including the entire Ministry of Health staff, spent Christmas festivities without their salaries, a development CSTU described as unfair.

According to sources in government, ministries whose salaries were delayed included Information, Justice and Local Government.

Said CSTU president Elia Kamphinda-Banda: “I am yet to receive reports of some civil servants complaining of not getting their salaries. It is my belief that all have been paid.

“That time, we were told that cheques for the Ministry of Health staff were sent to be banks, but people’s accounts were yet to be credited. And that was 24 December, I should believe by now people got their salaries

“It is a law by government that its employees will be getting salaries on the 18th of December, for them to spend the festive season with money. But it seems banks played a role in the mess, as the problem appears to be more of individual commercial banks and not government per say.”