Teachers teaching in Malawi public schools have formally joined the ongoing industrial action pressing for pay rise and improvement in conditions of service following a meeting between Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) and Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) yesterday (Monday).
Speaking to journalists yesterday, the General Secretary of Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) General Secretary, Denis Kalekeni said that his organization had ironed out all differences with CSTU and agreed to work together in the ongoing strike.
“We had a meeting with CSTU today. We have ironed out all our differences and agreed to work together. In this regard I would like to announce that with effect from Tuesday teachers are joining the strike,” said Kalekeni.
Earlier TUM had indicated that it will not be part of industrial action and discouraged its members from joining the strike. But some primary teachers in the commercial city Blantyre defied the order.
As ked on the latest about turn, Kalekeni said all along his union had been working together with public workers union in negotiating with the government, but in the recent talks TUM was left out.
“All along we had been working together with CSTU in negotiating with the government. This time when CSTU was discussing with the government we were left out. But we have agreed to bury our differences and work together on the current matter.
So we have agreed to work together on the planned march scheduled for Wednesday 20 February where we will present a petition to the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC),”explained Kalekeni.
Teachers constitute 70 percent of Malawi public workforce and their involvement in the current strike will bring business in the public run schools at standstill.
In a related development, public workers working in Immigration, Road Traffic and Civil Aviation are reported set to also join the industrial action which had paralyzed government administrative headquarters, Capital Hill in the capital city Lilongwe and regional government offices in the commercial city Blantyre.
Yesterday, Police fired several rounds of teargas to disperse protesting civil servants who were trying to close gates at government administrative citadel, Capital Hill, Lilongwe. There were no reports of casualties.
Meanwhile, the National Organization of Nurses and Midwives (NONM), a grouping representing the interests of nurses and midwives has said its 14-day ultimatum it gave authorities to address their grievances over pay and conditions of service still stands despite meeting President Joyce Banda yesterday.
“Our 14-day ultimatum expires on 25 February and come February 26, all nurses and midwives in government [health facilities] will join the civil servants strike. The pertinent issue we had was that of salaries and we wanted the president to address it there and then but she did not,” explained Jonathan Abraham Gama president of NONM.
However, he reiterated assertions that in the event of joining the industrial action the nurses and midwives body will maintain a skeleton staff to attend to emergencies and critically ill patients.
Despite the unofficial authorization from nurses body to join the strike, elsewhere in the districts of Nkhotakota, Dedza, Chikwawa and Ntcheu health workers are reported to have joined the strike.
In reaction to the public workers demands for 67 percent pay hike demand, Finance Minister Dr Ken Lipenga said there is no money in government coffers and should the government accede to the workers demands there will be no resources for other essential services and the country economy will be back to square one.
“If indeed we will have to accede to these demands [all resources will be directed to salaries] then we will be left with nothing to pay for other social services. We are currently trying to recover from current economic ills. Should we implement the demands then we should forget recovering from our current economic problems and we will be back to same position we were few months ago,” said Lipenga.
Malawi has been reeling under effects of International Monetary Fund(IMF)inspired austerity measures President Joyce Banda administration adopted to resuscitate the economy, which included 49 percent devaluation of the Kwacha and automatic pricing mechanism of fuel that has resulted into high cost of living.
