Admarc staff down tools, demand salary increase and pension remittance

State produce trader, Admarc staff have gone on strike starting Tuesday, demanding pay hike and to force the State company remit pension money to pension fund.

The Admarc staff members have closed all gates leading to the depots.

Rodrick Makanani, chairman of Admarc Workers Union in Ntcheu and Balaka said the talks over the issues started way back in March 2018.

“We wrote management again on April 16, reminding them of our demands but they have not responded, this is why we thought of taking the industrial action,” said Makanani.

In Mzuzu, the situation was the same.

The workers say Admarc has been deducting pension money from the workers but was not remitting them to pension fund, making it impossible for those who retire to access their pension money.

“At one point, a cabinet minister told us that the government has remitted K1.2 billion to our pension fund but we have just discovered that this was a blue lie,” said Makanani.

Makanani said the workers would go back to work after the government addresses the issues raised.