Pres Lazarus Chakwera
LILONGWE, Jan 1 (NNN-ALLAFRICA) — Civil Servants Trade Union and Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) have threatened to go on a nationwide demonstration from Jan 9 in a bid to press the government to address the high cost of living.
In a statement co-signed by CSTU general secretary Madalitso Njolomole and his TUM counterpart Charles Kumchenga this follows the government’s failure to honour the resolution during a meeting with the two unions on Dec 16, 2022.
Reads the statement in part: “Reference is made to the above subject matter following our recent Government Negotiating Team meeting between government and Civil Servants Trade Union (C STU) and Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) that took place on Friday 16th December, 2022 at Kumbali Lodge in Lilongwe.
“We (CSTU) and Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) would like to notify government of our intention to call for a nationwide industrial strike for all civil servants in Malawi from 9th January 2023 that shall be called off until government addresses all concerns we presented during the recent GNT Meeting.
“We have opted for this nationwide Industrial strike due to government’s failure to address most of the workers concerns, especially in relation to the current prevailing high cost of living in Malawi that has made life of the majority of public civil servants unbearable.”
The organisations have appealed to government to treat the matter with the urgency it deserves.
The statement has been copied to Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Ministry of Labour Principal Secretary and Malawi Congress of Trade Union.
The call also comes three months after MCTU appealed to the government to address issues of high unemployment rate as well as high cost of living as promised in their manifesto. — NNN-ALLAFRICA
