Unima set for another crisis

Despite reports that the salary increment disputes at University of Malawi (Unima) Council had been resolved, information emerging indicates the issue is far from over.

Information The Nation has sourced shows that at a recent meeting held in Lilongwe between the Unima chairperson and representatives of staff unions that included Chancellor College Academic Staff Unions (Ccasu) and Unima Workers Trade Union (UWTU), the parties failed to reach a consensus.

The bone of contention now is the 25 percent salary adjustment which the council extended to UWTU, who are non-academic staff, following discussions with the Unima Council negotiating task force.

Members of Ccasu and other staff associations also want the 25 percent salary adjustment to apply to them because they say they too deserved a normal salary increase.

Their demand comes in the wake of the academic staff demanding equality in salary structures with clinically trained staff who were getting an extra 40 percent clinical supplementation for rendering clinical services at Queen Elizabeth and Kamuzu Central hospitals in Blantyre and Lilongwe respectively besides serving as academics.

After several months, Unima Council in conjunction with government, bowed down to pressure and gave them the 40 percent.

According to a report by Unima Council chairperon James Maida, when he met all the staff unions on July 20 2017, Ccasu and staff associations’ representatives told him that after resolving the salary disparity matter, they expected the salary adjustment would also apply to them.

In an interview, Ccasu president Anthony Gunde confirmed the development.

“The 40 percent we were given had nothing to do with salary increment, the disparity was among the academics, but what the council has done is just to put an increment towards the support staff. We are surprised because any increment was to be across the board,” he said.