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Judiciary staff to report harassment to ILO, MCTU

Judiciary support staff, currently on a nationwide strike that has stopped the wheels of justice, plan to lodge a formal complaint to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) following a Malawi Police Service (MPS) raid of the courts.

The workers also said they will report the police harassment issue to the Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU), the local umbrella body for trade unions.

The situation at Mzuzu registry after police forced out staff

Andy Haliwa, spokesperson for the support staff, said yesterday the manner in which police conducted themselves on Friday left a lot to be desired.

He claimed that the police harassed some of their female colleagues in Mzuzu when they invaded the court premises in a desperate bid by the Executive arm of government to end the on-going strike.

The police action came 24 hours after government, in a press statement signed by Chief Secretary to the Government Lloyd Muhara, directed members of the support staff to remove any obstructions placed by them, and to immediately grant access to the members who are not on strike and the public.

Reacting to the developments, Haliwa said: “I don’t see the reason why the police had to be involved because we were not causing any harm and we were surprised that in the course of telling us to leave the premises, some women were handled inappropriately.”

He also distanced the support staff from causing any nuisance, saying they plan to lodge their complaints once the courts resume work.

But speaking in an interview on Saturday, MPS national spokesperson James Kadazdera told our sister newspaper, Nation on Sunday,that their involvement in the matter was on the basis that it is their duty to provide security where it is necessary.

The police had invaded the country’s courts hours after the Judiciary Support Staff Union leaders rejected a call by the Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda to urge their members to return to work by Monday.

In Mzuzu and Zomba, armed police officers drove out the striking Judiciary staff out of court premises while in Blantyre, the striking officers only left after being briefed by their union leaders.

However in Lilongwe, police officers had found the premises already abandoned by the staff.

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