The Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) has postponed the industrial action in the form of a strike that was planned to start this coming Monday.

The strike was supposed to take place in a bid to force government review conditions of services, including current salaries and other benefits for all civil servants.

Madalitso Njolomole Secretary General for CSTU has confirmed of the development in an interview with the press.

Njolomole has, however, said that the strike has just been postponed and that if the two sides fail to agree on trying to improve working conditions for civil servants, they will revert to the plan.

The Civil Servants want the Tonse Alliance government of President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera to consider hiking their salaries.

Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) Secretary General Madalitso Njolomole has said they will still proceed with their planned nationwide strike if nothing solid comes out from today’s meeting with government negotiating team.

In a desperate move to have the civil servants call off their planned nationwide strike, government is engaging representatives of civil servants at Kumbali Lodge in the capital Lilongwe.

The civil servants are pushing government to consider increasing their salaries to align with the current economic situation.

According to the civil servants, they are highly affected by high cost of living sanctioned by economic challenges rocking the country.

Secretary for Human Resource Management and Development, Blessings Chilabade extended the invitation to the CSTU leadership in a letter dated January 3, 2023.

Clinical officers’ union and Nurses organization have endorsed the planned nationwide strike at the same time asking their members who are civil servants to take part in the strike.

The country’s National Organization of Nurses and Midwives in Malawi (NONM) has weighed in its support towards the planned nationwide strike organized by the Civil Servants Trade Union and Teachers union of Malawi (TUM).

CSTU and TUM announced that they will hold nationwide strike if government fails to address their salary increment demands attributing high cost of living as sanctioned by economic woes rocking the country.

NONM’s president Shouts Simeza told the press that they have decided to endorse the strike because the majority of its members are civil servants.

However, Simeza has pointed out that they may not joint the actual strike because they were not part of the negotiation process between the two sides which led to the strike, until the organization defines the legality of the same.

Malawi Health Equity Network, executive director George Jobe, observes that the timing is bad in the wake of the cholera outbreak.

He says there might be preventable deaths, if the in-demand health personnel down tools. He however, hopes, it doesn’t have to get to that.

The Physician Assistants Union of Malawi (PAUM) also endorsed the strike saying that the challenges faced by civil servants should be treated as a matter of urgency.

Today, government is scheduled to meet civil servants representatives to discuss the matter at Kumbali Lodge in the capital Lilongwe.

As days are getting closer for civil servants to start their planned nationwide strike next week Monday, the Physician Assistants Union of Malawi (PAUM) have placed their endorsement card.

In a statement dated January 5, 2023, the Union said its members represent 85 percent of clinical staff in government hospitals as well as Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM) hospitals hence a need to work with other sister unions on issues of common interests.

Solomon David Chomba, PAUM president said the concerns raised by civil servants’ mother body Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) and Teacher Union of Malawi (TUM) cannot be given a blind.

“Issues of high cost of living with low wages amongst PAUM members cannot be given a blind eye without proper action. PAUM fully supports the concerns raised by CSTU and TUM, which centers on the challenges faced by civil servants due to high cost of living against the earning capacity of civil servants,” said Chomba.

He then added that PAUM member are suffering the same fate as the rest of the civil servants, and fully stands with the decision made by CSTU and TUM to bring attention to government to address the concerns faced by civil servants as a matter of urgency.

“it is therefore with this background that PAUM whose majority of its members are civil servants fully endorse the decision made by CSTU and TUM and thus encourages all PAUM members to take part in the organized strike if government decides not to bow down to the demands of CSTU,” Chomba concluded.

CSTU and TUM are pushing for salary increment for civil servants attributing high cost of living as sanctioned by economic woes rocking the country.

Yesterday, government approached the leadership of civil servants union and offered them a dialogue before proceeding with their decision to hold a nationwide strike.

Government and civil servants representative are scheduled to meet today in Lilongwe at Kumbali Lodge for dialogue.

We will keep you updated.

Civil Servants in the country have vowed to go on with a national wide strike starting from Monday, January 9, 2023 despite a move by the Tonse Alliance government to hold a dialogue meeting set for this coming Friday at Kumbali Lodge in Lilongwe.

The national wide strike follows a fruitless discussions between the Government Negotiation Team and representatives of the Civil Servant in the country.

Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) Secretary General, Madalitso Njolomole has confirmed of the development in an interview with the press.

The Civil Servants have resorted in going on strike after a failure by the Tonse Alliance government to hike their salaries.

Meanwhile government has invited Civil Servants representative to a dialogue meeting set for this coming Friday in Lilongwe.

Faceofmalawi will keep you updated on the matter.

Information reaching faceofmalawi indicates that Civil Servants in the country will from January 9, 2023 down tools over salaries discrepancies.

This has been confirmed in a statement jointly signed by Civil Servant Trade Union (CSTU) and Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) dated December 21, 2022 seen by this publication.

The move follows a recent discussions between the Government Negotiation Team and representatives of the Civil Servant in the country.

In the statement, the Civil Servants have vowed to only return to work if all their demands are met by the Tonse Alliance Government.

Effort to talk to Minister of Information and Digitalization Gospel Kazako proved futile.

Government and the Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) have today agreed on a 12 percent salary hike for civil servants, effective July 1, 2021.

CSTU Acting General Secretary Mabvuto Kaonga has confirmed the development.

Earlier, the employees had through their umbrella labor body Civil Servants Trade Union given government a seven-day ultimatum to consider hiking their pay by 15 percent or risk an industrial action.

Civil Servants Traded Union (CSTU) has threatened to organize a countrywide strike if government fails to honor an agreement of implementing a 15 percent salary hike.

CSTU General Secretary, Mabvuto Kaonga confirmed that their leadership met the Government Negotiating Team (GNT) two days before the passing of 2021/22 national budget.

According to Kaonga, government agreed to raise their salaries, however, it is still yet to implement the increment through the issuance of salary circular.

Government has been given a seven-day ultimatum to increase civil servants’ salaries or else risk a countrywide strike.

“CSTU and GNT amicably negotiated and agreed. However, we have noted with great concern that government is delaying to implement what we agreed on the salary increment,” read the statement written by the CSTU leadership directed to the office of Secretary to the President.

The union has therefore stressed that government should honor the agreement in a period of 7 days else will face a countrywide industrial strike.

However, CSTU president John Mdambo has said the issue of strike is avoidable only if government decides to treat their concern with seriousness.

According to Mdambo, their demand of 15 percent hike is justifiable considering that prices of essential commodities have gone up.

“With the cost of living going up, it is hard for someone to look after a family of five with what the civil servants are currently getting,” said Mdambo.

Government is yet to comment on the matter.

Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) has warned Government that the massage over risk allowance will not die.

The warning comes in two weeks after TUM and government agreed to resolve the matter out of industrial court.

TUM president Willy Malimba said that the two weeks now have passed without hearing anything from government on the discussion.

Malimba has warned that although teachers are currently going to their workplaces they are observing the sit in since they are not fully prepared due to unresolved allowance issue.

he added that teachers are now worried that Government is talking very long to resolve the matter.

Meanwhile TUM has approached Civil Servants Trade Union CSTU which is the mediator on this matter in order for it to speed up the meeting.

CSTU president Joseph M’dambo has said that his union has engaged Government mediating team chairperson to set the date for the meeting.

He has since said the discussion will not only centre on risk allowance, but all teachers grievances.

Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) has condemned the picketing action done to its members at government headquarters –Capital Hill in Lilongwe by Malawi Congress Party followers.

MCP supporters on Tuesday invaded the Capital Hill in protest against the May 21 tripartite election forcing people especially Civil Servants out of their offices.

MCP supporters claimed that the current administration led by President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika was illegally elected.

CSTU Secretary General Madalitso Njolomole in the statement issued on Wednesday said reminded Malawians that civil servants are not elected employees and they don’t practice politics at any level.

The statement further said Civil Servants besides serving government of the day; they also serve all Malawians at large.

CSTU further urged civil servants to continue with their daily responsibilities at their work place.

The Civil Servants Trade Union has given the government 14 days to promote those in mainstream civil service as it has done with teachers and police officers.

The development comes barely weeks after the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government under President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika promoted over 20, 000 teachers.

CSTU claims some civil servants have not been promoted for over 10 years while some have upgraded their qualifications and should be promoted.

The Malawi Public Service Regulation says a civil servant is eligible for promotion after every 4 years

Civil Servants in the country will start the month of June without earning their May salaries, FaceofMalawi can reveal.

Government has for the past week circulating a memo informing Civil Servants of the delay, saying the delay is due to the yet to be released results of the head counting.

The government also attributed to the delay due to the new system of paying salaries to Civil Servants.

Reacting to the move, Civil Servant Trade Union (CSTU) General Secretary Madaliso Njolomole said the reason given is baseless.

Njolomole said government is block and is failing to come on the open on the matter.

Civil Servants in the country can now have all reason to smile following the government decision to raise their salaries from the rejected 24 percent average to 45 percent.

The Civil Servants Trade Union and Teachers Union of Malawi proposed a 50 percent salary hike which the government said it is too much as it will have a huge effect to the country’s economy.

According to the circular dated 2014 from the Human Resource Department disclosed that the government has nodded to a new salaries of civil servant effective October 1, 2014.

“I am pleased to inform you that Government has approved the revision of salaries for employees in the civil service with effect from 1st October 2014,” reads the memo signed by HRM Director Hilary Chimota.

According to the circular , the increments are in grades R, M, J, K and I.

According to the document , in the main civil service the salary range for Grade R is now K493, 296 to K501, 756 per annum from a salary range of K365, 400 to K371, 700 per annum.

Grade M will be getting a salary range of K660, 960 to 684,288 from the old salary range of K489, 600 to 506,880.

Those in grade K have had their salaries raised from the range of K720, 720 to K840, 720 to the salary range K987, 384 to K1, 151,784.

Civil servants in grade J will be getting salaries ranging from K1, 301,244 to K1, 525,584 from a salary range of K1, 256,328 to K1, 454,568.

Grade I civil servants will now be getting a salary range of K2,135,760 to K2,472,780 from the range K1,256,328 to K1,454,568 per annum.

According to the document, the salaries will be paid from a vote on personal emoluments in the government departments.

Meanwhile the document states that there will be no annual increment on 1st December 2014 as per tradition.

“The increment date for all civil servants remains 1stDecember. However, there shall be no annual increment on 1st December 2014,” it reads.

A driver working for the Judiciary has disputed the Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) claims that they (drivers) get a salary of K85 000 (about $223) per month.

FaceofMalawi sourced the driver, who asked for anonymity, said such claims by CSTU are likely to cause damage to Judiciary drivers as they are also in the process of fighting for their salary increment.

The highest paid driver in the Judiciary gets about K56 000 ($147) per month, which is far below K85 000, said the driver.

CSTU treasurer Joseph Mdambo was quoted by The Nation as having said the unions want the lowest paid civil servant to get at least K85 000, which is equivalent to the salary of a driver in the Judiciary.

However, CSTU president Servace Sakala said in an interview it is possible the K85 000 was mentioned without proof, but the underlining issue is that employees in some government departments, especially in the Judiciary and at the Law Commission, receive a far much higher pay than civil servants in the mainstream.

As debate continues on 2014/15 national budget presented on Tuesday by Minister of Finance Goodall Gondwe at Parliament in Lilongwe, pegged at over MK700 billion.

Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) and Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) have jointly denied the proposed 24 percent pay hike, saying it is not the true reflection of their discussions with the Government Negotiating Team (GNT) ahead of the budget.

During the budget presentation, Gondwe said: “The recurrent budget includes an amount of K163.3 billion for wages and salaries. This is 24.4 percent higher than last financial year’s provision for wages and salaries. Honourable members will, therefore, note that this year’s average wage increase is proposed to be 24.4 percent”.

Speaking in an interview, TUM Secretary General Denis Kalekeni said:”We are not going to accept it. The percentage which we proposed was above 24 percent, but what has come out is what they [government] wanted. We did not reject it, but we gave them a counter-offer which we expected them to consider as well and strike a compromise”.

The unions had also asked the GNT, which comprises principal secretaries (PSs) for Finance and Human Resources Management, to segment the salary increase so that those in higher grades do not receive a similar percentage increment as those in lower grade.

Concurring with Kalekeni, CSTU president Servace Sakala said the union would only be happy after government adopts a living wage which he admitted was not sustainable in the present state of the economy.

Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) and Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) leadership has asked government to consider a reasonable increase in salary.

The Trade Unions revealed to our FOM reporters that the lower increment that government proposed was low and contrary to their expectations as such it needs to reconsider.

A Press Statement signed by the leadership of the two unions which showed that they had a meeting with Government Negotiating Team which aimed at providing feedback to the Unions regarding civil servants salary.

“The offer that Government has made falls short of addressing the most critical needs of civil servants and has failed to take into account economic hardships that civil servants are facing.

“Government’s offer also falls short of addressing the issue of harmonising remuneration in the public service as advocated by the Unions” reads the statement.

The statement also shows that the unions has urged government to seriously consider establishing the Public Service Remuneration Board as soon as possible.

“In appreciating the economic challenges the Government is going through, the Unions have made a counter offer which is substantially below the initial proposal but slightly above Government’s offer.

The Unions has since urged government to seriously consider implementing the counter offer.

Former President of the Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) and evangelist, Thomas Banda, has passed on, FaceofMalawi has been informed.

According to information, Banda who was a member of the Tembenukani singers that was well-known for its song Ambiri tionana pansi pano has passed on this evening after an illness.

Banda served in the field of God where he was a powerful evangelist as well as the civil service where he ascended to the top spot of the President of the body that looks into the welfare of the government workers, CSTU.

FaceofMalawi condoles Banda’s family and wishes him a peaceful rest.

With about six weeks to go before the country hold its first ever tripartite election on May 2o, the Civil Service Trade Union (CSTU) has disclosed its intention to meet Presidential Candidates to find out their plans for them once voted into power.

CSTU general secretary Madalitso Njolomole in an interview with a local newspaper yesterday.

“We have not heard clearly from the Presidential candidates on what plans they have for an effective and motivated civil service. Manifestos are being released but we have not heard concrete plans for  the civil service”, he said.

He said if presidential candidates shunned the call from the civil servants that would be an indication that they did not care about the civil services.

CSTU has also demanded resumption of full-funding to ministries and departments.