Magistrates plan to down tools
The Association of Magistrates (AMA) is planning to down tools to force government to revise their salaries and conditions of service, it has emerged.
Through a letter dated April 2 2024 The Nation has seen addressed to Ministry of Labour and jointly signed by AMA president Kondani Chinangwa and secretary general Mathews Malunga, the association said they have resorted to industrial action after failing to reach an agreement with government during negotiations on the revision of their salaries and conditions of service.
Reads the letter in part: “It is regrettable that nothing tangible has been forthcoming from these negotiations as the government through the Government Negotiation Team is not showing any commitment to have the above concerns addressed amicably.
“Over the same, AMA resolved at its 2024 Annual General Meeting held in Liwonde, Machinga to proceed with Declaration of Dispute following the lack of progress on the negotiations.”
AMA, among others, says it wants a clause in the conditions of service that accord a benefit to all judicial officers to import duty-free motor vehicles. The association states that the said clause was removed from the conditions of service in 2012 without consulting judicial officers.
In an internal communication dated April 4 2024, the association notified its members that it successfully served the Ministry of Labour and the Judicial Service Commission with a letter of declaration of dispute on that day. The association further indicated that the declaration of dispute will culminate in an industrial action after the lapse of 21 days as stipulated by the labour laws.
Chinangwa yesterday refused to comment on the matter, saying all the communications were meant for judicial staff.
In 2019, Judiciary support staff defied their management’s declaration that their sit-in was illegal and continued to down their tools in a move that paralysed the courts.
