Escom salary dispute to go for mediation
Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) executive management and Escom Staff Union (ESU) have agreed to resolve the ongoing dispute over salary increment through mediation, The Nation has learnt.
A letter we have seen from ESU president Charity Harawa and secretary general William Mnyamula dated December 28 2023, and addressed to Ministry of Labour Principal Secretary Wezi Kayira, indicates that the two sides settled for Professor Garton Kamchedzera to conciliate.
Last month some Escom employees took to the streets in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu cities to protest a 10 percent salary increment offer.
Reads the letter: “We refer to our notice of a dispute dated 7th December 2023. We hereby report to your office that executive management of Escom and Escom Staff Union [ESU] have agreed on Professor Garton Kamchedzera [Professor of Law, Legal and Development Consultant] as the conciliator herein.”
In a telephone interview yesterday, Kamchedzera confirmed the development, saying the mediation process is at its initial stages.
He said: “I am at a point of speaking to both sides to have a roadmap, so at this point I cannot say there is any timeframe.”
In the letter, ESU also informed the principal secretary that the group’s intention to withdraw labour still stands as Escom management failed to resolve the dispute within 21 days.
ESU is pushing for a 44 percent salary increase and gave Escom up to December 28 2023 to resolve the dispute.
Efforts to talk to Kayira proved futile as he could neither pick our calls nor respond to WhatsApp messages.
Another letter from ESU president and secretary general, dated December 22 2023, titled ‘Proposed Names for Conciliator on Dispute as Reported on 7th December 2023’, and addressed to Escom chief executive officer Kamkwamba Kumwenda, states that the PS in his letter dated December 18 2023 advised ESU and Escom management to agree on a conciliator in line with Section 44 (2) of Labour Relations Act to conciliate in this matter.
The letter further adds that other proposed names for conciliator were associate professor of law Ngeyi Kanyongolo and Archbishop Mark Kambalazaza.
Escom spokesperson Kitty Chingota in an interview on Tuesday that the issue is still under discussion and our paper should wait until it is concluded to avoid jeopardising the process.
Commenting on the issue, labour expert Mauya Msuku observed that the scheme of the law encourages conciliation, but was quick to add that it must be done in good faith.
He pointed out that the chosen conciliator is a respected person of integrity, but the two parties need to come to the reconciling table in good faith.
Msuku said: “Reconciliation is about give and take and transparency.”
Meanwhile, some ESU leadership, including Mnyamula and Harawa, are still suspended on allegations that they endorsed the illegal use of company vehicles during the strike by workers on December 7 2023.
