NRB drivers stage sit-in

About 65 National Registration Bureau (NRB) drivers yesterday parked their vehicles at NRB offices in Limbe, Blantyre, to push for pay covering July 27 to August 11.

The drivers are also demanding an increment in their wages, saying the K10 000 they get per day is on the lower side.

NRB head driver Happy Nyirenda confirmed about the strike, saying they will only resume work after their grievances are resolved.

He said they have been pushing NRB to pay their wages in time but their request was neglected.

Said Nyirenda: “How can someone expect us to work without food and money? We have been asking for favourable working conditions, but they don’t want to listen to us because we are nothing to them.  We were supposed to get our wages on August 11. They always delay to pay us.”

When The Nation visited the NRB offices in Limbe, some drivers were seen playing bawo while registration officers looked stranded as some were reported to be in transit to Machinga and Zomba districts.

One registration officer at the office, Patrick Nkhoma, said the strike has affected their working calendar as they were supposed to start the registration exercise in Machinga today.

He said some of his colleagues in Mulanje have been affected as drivers refused to go and pick them up.

Commenting on the strike, NRB public relations officer Norman Fulatira echoed Nkhoma’s observation that the strike will delay the exercise.

He was, however, quick to point out that the drivers will receive their money soon.

“These drivers are paid from UNDP [United Nations Development Programme] through UNDP project. I understand that there was a delay in processing their wages, but possibly tomorrow [Tuesday] they will start receiving their money,” said Fulatira.

The strike comes barely a week after some registration officers threatened to down their tools to push for a hike in their allowances.