Malawi judges threaten to join judiciary strike
Malawi government has been told that judges, senior officers and magistrates will join the ongoing strike in the Judiciary unless Capital Hill address their demands on conditions of services and salary increment .
The judicial officers, through a steering committee on terms and conditions of service for the Judiciary, have since written the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) to resolve their grievances within seven days.
Justice Lovemore Chikopa, Chairperson of Malawi Judiciary Committee on Conditions of Service said in a letter to OPC said that failure to address their grievance, they will “proceed to withhold labour.”
Among the demands are housing, motor vehicle benefits for the judges.
“We confirm that that Government has undertaken to immediately procure a new motor vehicle for The Honourable the Chief Justice. For purposes of specificity the car is a Toyota VX V8.
“We wish to reiterate however that for those of their Lordships whose motor vehicles have clocked 150000 kilometres and reached four years Government is in so far as it has not replaced such motor vehicles in breach of Their Lordships’ terms and conditions of service. It has unilaterally decided which of those terms and conditions it will abide by and which ones it will not,” reads the letter.
“For the newly appointed Judges our position remains that they are entitled to new vehicles. Interpreting the terms and conditions otherwise will result in an absurdity which could not have been intended by the drafters of such terms and conditions,” it adds.
“The Judiciary therefore feels obliged to insist that Government complies to the letter with Their Lordships’ terms and conditions of service.”
Government authorities say the failure to increase judicial workers’ salaries this year is largely because of financial constraints, following a donor aid freeze against Malawi’s government. The freeze is a result of a government financial scandal in which more than $30 million was looted from government coffers.
Ministry of Finance spokesperson Nations Msowoya told a local radio station it is hard for the government to meet the workers’ demand.
The ongoing strike is hampering progress of trials, as court operations remain suspended.
Several trials, including those in connection with the financial scandal have been indefinitely suspended.
Police are complaining of congestion in jail cells, as no suspects are being taken to court.
Inspector General of Police Lot Dzonzi said the only option they have is “giving police bail to those with minor offenses.”
Human rights campaigners and legal experts feared the current strike is impinging on the rule of law as suspects were being remanded with no warrants extended and without a right to bail or trial.-
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The judiciary is behaving like politicians who always think of there own interests. EGOISM (What matters is my own interests). There is no consideration of their friends’ wellbeing and the sources of money.
Judiciary staff are well tended to with kid gloves. Already, they were at an advantage before our perks got up. Now they want to surpass us again. Yet their pace of work is so slow that remandees rot in cells. Government easily bows in to be favoured. Shame on this judiciary.
Kubela mavoti zotsatila ndi zimenezo musova apm. Inudi 2019 simufika nanga report LA 92 billion likatuluka mudzatani maina anu nonse Ali pamenepo
Iweso uli chisiru wamva tazako tikululira kuti ationjedzere boma sikuti ndalama lilibe ayi uwona atipatsa ndipatikaamba ntchito
ukuti chyn?
Very obscene demand coming from people who are supposed to understand the state of a country e economy. This is a result of govt offering different working conditions to different civil servants. harmonize all conditions of service at once wolowa ntchito ya boma aziziwa chimene akumane nacho palibe gulu lopambana potumukila anthu
Iweso uli chisiru tazako tikululira kuti ationjedzere boma sikuti ndalama lilibe ayi uwona atapatsa ndipatikaamba ntchito
Are judges better civil servants than others, say doctors, engineers, teachers, agriculturists, etc? No they should think about poor suffering Malawians, too. Judges already enjoy a lot of luxuries in the poor Malawi. Please judges, be sober and think about the national economy. You are Malawians too.
mukangowaonjezera agaluwo nafeso tipita pansewu.mwakula mwatha muziona
let us avoid kunyozana mitundu. ife atumbuka talakwa chiyani.
Welcome back to Bingu days my people!! This is the government you voted for. Malawians we have not seen anything yet. The worst is yet to come. God have mercy!! Munthalika and his cronies are busy siphoning our tax money in the form of allowances. You haven’t heard the president say I will take a pay cut just to show that he is equally responsible for the tough times our country is going through. Instead he thinks every one else to tighten their belts while his is getting fatter and fatter. The judiciary should go ahead and show this moron… Read more »
Guys u already get huge salaries. Give chance to junior staff. U want them to be beging u always? Come on be serious