MHC staff protest salary disparities
It never rains but pours for the Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC) management. After tussling with its tenants in the past months, the junior staff at MHC are now protesting salary increment disparities.
After receiving memos advising them of a new salary structure, the junior staff are now protesting the new increment saying what they have been given is not what they expected.
They are against what they call the huge gap between the percentages the junior staff have been given to that of the senior staff.
The memo which Nation Online has seen shows an increment of 34 to 36 percent for junior staff while senior staff have been given up to 59 percent.
Speaking in an interview on condition of anonymity, the junior staff hinted that after successfully winning a case to increase rentals, they expected management to give then a substantial salary adjustment considering the current cost of living.
“Now that the corporation has an increased financial flow and that it now operates as a commercial entity in line with other statutory corporations such as the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) and Blantyre Water Board, we expect them to increase our salaries by at least 90 percent,” said the staff.
They also demand that management stop intimidating junior staff adding that “as of now some junior staff are facing disciplinary action for complaining about the salary discrepancy.”
“We will follow all necessary procedures and if they remain adamant we will down tools. We will watch and see how they are going to run the corporation without us,” said one of the junior staff.
Another staff indicated that they feel they are being unfairly treated indicating that the salary gap is getting too wide.
“To think that they have decided to give themselves 59 percent increment and us 34 percent is un affair. After all their salaries are already on the higher side. We are not demanding much, at least if they had recommended a uniform increment we would appreciate,” said the source.
When contacted, MHC spokesperson Ernestina Lunguzi said since the junior staff are planning to meet management this today, it she will comment once all the grievances have been tabled.
