Trade unions in the civil service have lamented delays by government to pay June salaries, saying the late disbursement has disturbed workers’ financial plans and affected their welfare.
Civil servants are normally paid by the 27th of the month. However, by July 1 they had not received their June salaries.
The Department of Accountant General said a technical glitch affected salary processing, but the problem has now been resolved.
In an interview yesterday, Federation of Civil Service Unions president Solomon Chomba said delays cause unnecessary hardships for workers who rely on monthly salaries to meet essential household expenses.
“When salaries delay, employees are unable to plan their finances effectively, pay bills on time or purchase household necessities. This puts workers under pressure and could affect their performance at work,” he said.
In a separate interview, Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) secretary general Charles Kumchenga said civil servants are accustomed to receiving salaries between 21st and 27th of the month hence they were affected by the delay.
He said in an interview yesterday that the TUM engaged Accountant General’s Department on Wednesday after receiving complaints from members and got assurances that the technical challenges had been resolved.
Civil Servants Trade Union president Lameck Magawa also called on ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to be processing salaries on time to cushion workers against unforeseen technical challenges.
In an interview yesterday, Department of Accountant General public relations officer Loness Gwazanga Chowawa declined to provide details about the technical glitch but said a few ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) were affected.
She added that the issue was resolved on Wednesday and some people started receiving their salaries the same day.
Preparation of salaries in government involves MDAs, Department of Human Resource Management and Development and the Accountant General’s Department.
