Lilongwe city workers shelve plans to block sewer pipes: Gets 50% pay hike
Workers from Lilongwe City Council have shelved plans for a deadly mass action after their bosses agreed to affect a 50 percent salary increment affective next month.
The Council’s junior staff- which mainly comprises casual labourers have been at loggerheads with management following the Council’s failure to implement a 70 percent salary increment. Most of the casual labourers down their tools almost a month ago, resulting in refuse being left unattended in most parts of the city.
Seeing that management was not ready to meet their demands, the workers threatened to block sewer pipes which move waste from the city’s locations, if their demands were not met within a specified period.
After discussions and consultations with Local Government authorities and the workers’ union, the Council has finally agreed to affect a 50 percent salary increment, which the workers have since accepted.
“Although we wanted 70 percent, we have accepted the 50 percent increment and we are not proceeding with the mass action,” said a member from the workers’ union, who did not want to be named.
One of the directors at the Council also confirmed the development, saying government did not want to see the city’s residents subjected to more pain after the strike by Lilongwe Water Board staff that
resulted in the city dwellers going without water for three days.
