Govt intervenes in Mota-Engil staff strike

Ministry of Labour is today scheduled to engage Mota-Engil Malawi staff and management over a pay dispute that has crippled the company’s construction projects since last week.

In an interview yesterday, the ministry’s public relations officer Nellie Kapatuka confirmed that they have engaged both the company’s workers and management.

As of Tuesday, she said the workers had agreed to resume work while discussions continue.

“We are hoping to conclude the engagement in a week or two. The employer is very cooperative and has shown willingness to have it concluded,” said Kapatuka.

Mota-Engil staff representative Justice Chimbayo confirmed in an interview yesterday that a meeting has been scheduled for 2pm today in Lilongwe.

He said the mediation follows a letter addressed to the ministry’s Principal Secretary Wezi Kayira who on Tuesday sent a delegation to meet the workers.

Chimbayo said the company first offered a 10 percent pay hike and later pushed it to 15 percent with arrears from November, December and January, a proposal the workers rejected.

In a separate interview, Mota-Engil public relations manager Thomas Chafunya confirmed the meeting and that staff  in all duty  stations had returned to work in all duty stations across the country.

The 2 000-strong workforce is demanding a 50 percent salary increment to correspond with the 44 percent kwacha devaluation and the rising cost of living.

The workers claim that they have not had a salary increment for six years.

The strike comes amid pressure from workers in both the public and private sectors on their employers to hike salaries in response to the devaluation.