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Lilongwe City Council staff down tools

Staff at Lilongwe City Council (LCC) yesterday boycotted work demanding salary increment and settlement of their two months arrears which the council had not paid for the months of January and February this year.

The workers also threatened to prolong the strike and block the city’s sewage system if the council does not honour their demands.

Lilongwe City Council staff block the entrance to civic offices
Lilongwe City Council staff block the entrance to civic offices

A representative of the striking staff, Weson James, said the council approved salary increments of 68 percent  for workers on grades M1 to M3 and 40 percent  for workers on M4 grade to ground workers last year but the new salaries have not been effected.

Said James: “The approval was done in October last year and we were told that we will start receiving revised salaries in January this year but that has not been done to date so we are demanding arrears for January and February as well as a written communication of the revised salary structure.”

A series of meetings have been taking place between council management and representatives of the staff union but the staff members said they could only resume work after settlement of their arrears and assurance of new salaries.

LCC public relations officer Tamara Chafunya said she could only comment after management and staff representatives arrive at one decision.

As early as 7.30am in the morning, the workers blocked all entrances to the council’s offices with tree branches. More drama occurred when some workers dressed as gulewamkulu started dancing right in front of the civic offices.

The situation attracted the attention of Lilongwe City Centre Member of Parliament (MP) David Bisnowaty who tried to talk to the workers only to be told to talk to management to meet the workers’ demands.

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