Mary’s Meals bows down to employees’ demands
Mary’s Meals, an organisation that supports the school feeding programme in the country, has bowed down to demands by its local employees by offering them a 65 percent salary increment effective this month.
The employees downed their tools last Friday demanding a 150 percent salary increment.
In their letter dated April 22 2016 to the country director, and copied to head of programmes in Eastern Africa, the employees said an agreement was entered among themselves to start the industrial action immediately.
“This has [been] arrived [at] looking at unsatisfactory responses we have been receiving since last year on the same. We demand a minimum of 150 percent pay increase,” read the letter in part.
However, the employees have today agreed to accept a 65 percent increment after management promised to consider the remaining 85 percent next month.
The organisation’s country director Chris MacLullich declined to comment on the matter, but referred the matter to communications officer Fatima Khonat.
Khonat confirmed that the issue has been resolved and that the said members of staff are back in their offices.
Mary’s Meals works in 12 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, according to information sourced from its website.
Mary’s Meals in Malawi, the website informs, reaches out to 25 percent of all primary schools in the country, feeding about 814 000 learners.
In Malawi the school feeding programmed began in 2002 when its founder, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, met a 14-year-old boy who told him: “I want to have enough food to eat and to be able to go to school one day,” the website reveals.
It is a registered charity, formerly known as Scottish International Relief (SIR), which sets up school feeding projects in some of the world’s poorest communities, where hunger and poverty prevent children from gaining an education.
The organisation provides maize and soya porridge locally referred to as Likuni Phala, fortified with essential vitamins and minerals. Community volunteers help in preparing the food for the school children.
