OPC appeals to absentee civil servants

The Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) has said many civil servants have not been turning up for work since the May 20 Tripartite Elections and has since appealed to them to resume reporting for duty.

In the press release issued on Tuesday, OPC says it has not declared a public holiday in the period between polling day and announcement of results.

“The Office of the President and Cabinet would like, therefore, to appeal to all public servants to continue reporting for work normally as provided for in the Public Service Act and the Malawi Public Service Regulations (MPSR),” the statement reads in part.

While not denying the allegation, Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) general secretary Madalitso Njolomole said government had mechanisms to check against absenteeism instead of issuing press releases.

“As a union, our members are aware that there is no public holiday. But we cannot deny that there are others who are staying away from work for various reasons and we are appealing to them to get back to work,” Njolomole said.

According to the MPSR, absence for five consecutive days is tantamount to abscondment.