Govt, truck drivers’ talks end in suspense

Efforts by Ministry of Transport and Public Works to persuade truck drivers to suspend their planned nationwide strike on March 21 ended in suspense after Professional Drivers Union (PDU) refused to immediately declare its stand.

Through the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, government convened a three-hour meeting in Lilongwe yesterday with representatives of various drivers’ associations and other ministries, departments and agencies.

The impending strike, which analysts fear would grossly affect the transportation of essentials such as fuel, pharmaceuticals and food supplies, was announced last week.

During yesterday’s meeting, the PDU accused government of doing little to deliver on its promises it made through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on July 14 2021.

Further, the union accused government of failing to enforce the K140 000 minimum wage for crossborder drivers and the promise to reduce the 48-page passport renewal fee by half from K120 000.

Other concerns raised during the meeting were that government was contracting foreign companies to transport goods, thereby resulting in rising unemployment rate among the union’s membership. They also alleged that some of their employers were ill-treating them for joining unions.

During the meeting, the drivers presented their grievances and government representatives took turns addressing them.

On the minimum wage, PDU general secretary Mphatso Moleni accused the Ministry of Labour of failing to enforce the regulation despite a flurry of complaints directed to it.

The ministry, through the Commissioner for Labour Hlalerwayo Nyangulu, admitted that it was slow in enforcing the regulation. He said the reason was that some companies were struggling economically due to the impact of Covid-19.

He, however, said the ministry was committed to imposing punishments against employers who fail to meet the minimum wage requirement.

On the issue of passports, representatives of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services said there was an anomaly in gazetting for the subsidised renewal fee as it was the 38-page passport booklet that was subsidised instead of the 48-page one.

The department assured the drivers that the anomaly would be rectified through the Ministry of Justice.

Ministry of Transport and Public Works Principal Secretary Hastings Chiudzu pleaded with the drivers to suspend their planned strike, saying government had shown commitment to address the grievances.

However, PDU representatives said they needed to meet at their executive level and would declare their stand within 72 hours.

In an interview later, the union’s spokesperson Steven Tembo said they were not convinced that government would fulfil the commitments.

He said: “We are not satisfied with some of the excuses they make. For example, the issue of passports, they always blame it on an error. What kind of error is that which can’t be rectified for nine months?

“Anyway, we have heard their side and, therefore, we will report back to the executive committee and decide whether to heed their request or not.”

Meanwhile, Road Transport Operators Association vice-chairperson Moses Chauluka was optimistic that the drivers would halt the strike which he feared could have serious repercussions on the country such as failure to transport fuel and other essential products.

“Most of the grievances have been tackled and resolved. Therefore, we expect the strike to be automatically called off,” he said.

The stand-off between truck drivers and government and their employers on one hand has refused to die over the past three years. At one point, the drivers grounded their vehicles in a move that disrupted local supply chains, including delivery of fuel.