Truck drivers strike,disrupt cargo flow
M
ovement of cargo came to a halt yesterday after truck drivers under the Professional Drivers Union of Malawi (Produm) parked their vehicles to push for processing of their passports and implementation of pay hike.
On passports, the drivers want the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services to renew their passports while on wages, they want the Ministry of Labour to peg the minimum wage at K300 000.
In Blantyre, the drivers converged at Ngumbe along the M1 where they block trucks with carrying capacity of 15 tonnes and above from passing through.
By 5pm, the drivers had forcibly blocked over 20 trucks.
One of the affected international drivers, a Zimbabwean, said he was coming from South Africa to deliver plastic granules in Blantyre.
“I was four kilometres away from my destination, but the local drivers are saying I could be here for a week which will affect me because I will not be able to carry out any assignment while parked here,” he said.
In Karonga, trucks parked near Karonga Roundabout and could not proceed to Mzuzu.
A leader of the striking drivers, Joseph Mhango, said the government was not addressing their complaints; hence, the strike.
In Kasungu, the situation was normal from morning up to around 3pm when a group of men believed to be truck drivers started stopping trucks along the M1. By 3.30pm, the group had stopped three trucks.
Produm chairperson for the Southern Region Andrew Chimera in an interview said other truck drivers gathered at Mwanza Border, Luwinga in Mzuzu as well as Kanengo and Bunda Turn-off in Lilongwe.
He said the drivers met principal secretaries for Labour and Transport, but no resolution was reached.
When contacted, Ministry of Homeland Security Principal Secretary (PS) Steven Kayuni said he was in a meeting while PS for Labour Chikondano Mussa said the ministry was still negotiating.
Speaking in an interview, Transporters Association of Malawi general secretary Elliot Mussa said transporters have been impacted by the strike because their trucks are grounded.
In February this year, Minister of Labour Agnes NyaLonje announced that the gazetted minimum wages for dry and wet cargo drivers above 30 tonnes is K234 500 per month for international drivers and K167 500 per month for local drivers.
For drivers of trucks below 30 tonnes, the minimum wage is K100 500 per month.
