Pay delay irks civil servants, govt apologises
Civil servants in most government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) are yet to receive their November salaries which were due on the 27th, prompting angry reactions from Civil Service Trade Union (CSTU) and Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM).
Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development has since apologised for the delay attributed to a technical glitch at the office of the Accountant General in Lilongwe where salaries are processed.
In an interview yesterday, Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development spokesperson Davis Sado confirmed that some MDAs were yet to receive their November salaries.
He attributed the delay to a technical hiccup with one of the payment processing systems the ministry uses, but said the system had been restored at the time of the interview yesterday afternoon.
Said Sado: “Technicians have been working on it over the weekend and I can confirm now that the system is up and running and ministries are now able to use it. For ministries which had not yet processed the salaries, can now use the system and finalise what is supposed to be done.”
He apologised to all civil servants who are yet to receive their salaries and assured them that they will get their pay “as soon as possible because salaries are a statutory payment”.
Said Sado: “We sincerely apologise to all civil servants and the public who have been affected by the delay. We are also aware that any delay in salaries has some consequences to civil servants, that’s why we had to work around the clock during the weekend to make sure that the system is restored.”
Reacting to the development, CSTU general secretary Madalitso Njolomole faulted government for the delay, saying any reason given for the delay is not justifiable as every system is supposed to have a backup.
He said: “The salary delay has affected our families and civil servants will be trapped in huge debts. What the Ministry of Finance is saying on the delay is not justifiable. When did they realise that there is this problem?”
In a separate interview, TUM secretary general Charles Kumchenga said government should have communicated the problem earlier.
He observed that government’s justification of the delay is an indication that its officials do not care about the wellbeing of civil servants, particularly teachers who are the majority.
Spot-checks yesterday indicated that affected MDAs included Malawi Police Service (MPS), Ministry of Health, OPC, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development and most district councils.
