Malawi civil servants demand pay rises to match true cost of living: Warns of strike action

Civil Servants have issued a strike warning if government overlooks the need to increase salaries substantially to match the cost of living in the country.

Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) President Servace Sakala, said civil servants will start withdrawing labour, arguing that they have been waiting for an increment for a long time to match the economic conditions.

But Minister of Finance Economic Planning and Development, Goodall Gondwe on Friday told the National Assembly that government would increase salaries for junior public servants from December this year.

Sakala warned that failure to increasing salaries will not be entertained.

“We have been patient enough on the salary issue, if you remember last time government raised salaries for senior civil servants and juniors were left aside.

“We are expecting that this time government will increase salaries for civil servants and mostly junior civil servants”, said Sakala.

The threat fo r civil servants strike comes after the judiciary strike and recently the Anti-Corruption Bureau strike which has seen workers accepting 9% and continue to work.

ACB senior public relations officer Egritta Ndala said: “We have just agreed that we should accept the nine percent raise. After all, the financial year is coming to an end [on June 30].

“However, we shall continue engaging government on the increase of salaries. The problem was that government was not delivering on their promise that is why we downed tools.”

Gondwe in his budget statement said government will push up the wage bill from K198.0 billion in 2014/15 financial year to an estimated K228.7 billion.

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