Civil servants push for restructuring of AG’s office over late pay
Tired of the continuous delay in getting salaries, civil servants in Malawi are calling for the restructuring of the Accountant General’s office as a measure of addressing the problem.
The call from the Secretary General of Malawi Congress of Trade Union (MCTU) Pontius Kalichero comes after government announced that the civil servants will get their January salary in February.
Kachero told a privately owned Capital Radio that it seems there are some people in the Accountant General’s office who are “tired” of their jobs.
“There some people who have overstayed in that office I think they should be pushed somewhere and bring people who can work accordingly,” he said.
Kalichero also said the sad thing is that no dates for the payment are mentioned.
The newly appointed Accountant General Thomas Makiwa said in a memo dated July 20 that the delay is due to delayed submission of payment vouchers.
“The delay in submitting the GP5A forms and payment vouchers will affect the payday for January 2014 salaries and also delay the process for February 2014 salaries,” reads the memo in part.
The development has angered many civil servants who blame government for taking them for granted arguing this is not the first for their salaries to be delayed over simple issues.
Commenting on the issue Executive Director for the Institute for Policy Interaction Rafick Hajat said: “How will Civil Servants survive whilst waiting for their salaries? How will they feed their families? This is how one creates fertile ground for corruption.”
Meanwhile, the accountant general is reported to have has urged controlling officers to start preparing February salaries and submit the required information by February 5 to speed up the process so that civil servants begin getting their pay in time.
