Water boards staff to get 12.5% pay hike

Government has effected a 12.5 percent salary hike for employees of the country’s five water boards, who protested a recent five percent salary increment and demanded a 20 percent hike.

Water Employees Trade Union of Malawi (Wetum) secretary general Ganizani Thyangathyanga in an interview yesterday said the matter was resolved on January 21 with guidance from the Ministry of Labour.

He said: “The Ministry of Labour facilitated a meeting between us and the Comptroller of Statutory Corporations [Nwazi Mnthambala] and Secretary to Treasury [Chauncy Simwaka]. We have agreed to a 12.5 percent increment effective January 2021.

“All water boards have since submitted to government information on the increment so that it can be incorporated in the Mid-Year Budget Review.”

Thyangathyanga said since a five percent increment was already applied earlier, government will just add the 7.5 percent to their salaries, which they will receive in arrears.

Asked why the union advocated for a blanket increment, Thyangathyanga said this was the beginning of a process and that gradually things will normalise.

 But in an interview yesterday, Mnthambala, while confirming the meeting agreed on the 12.5 percent increment,  said Treasury was yet to respond on the matter.

She said: “Treasury deals with salaries, so they have not responded. The union is waiting for a formal letter from Treasury on response.”

On November 23 2020, Mnthambala told The Nation that government would not bow to their 20 percent increase demand.

Simwaka refused to comment on the matter, saying: “I don’t deal with water boards. These are commercial institutions, and they have their board of directors.”