There was commotion at the Zomba State House Thursday, when officials effected an order that the Industrial Relations Court (IRC) made in Blantyre, effectively allowing the State to transfer some of the staff members.
However, some staff members resisted the move, resulting in confrontational scenes in the old capital.
One of the staff members claimed that they had been harassed.
“They came to our houses and forced us out while beating us up.
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“Actually, they first came here on Wednesday and we were forced to report the matter to police, who did not help us,” he said.
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State House Press Secretary Anthony Kasunda could not be reached for his comment as we went to press.
In March this year, IRC sitting in Blantyre overturned an application by 98 State Residences’ staff for sustenance of an order stopping the government from transferring them to other duty stations.
The court had, in October last year, stopped State Residences’ officials from transferring the staff— who included police officers, housekeepers and gardeners— to government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
Earlier this year, a similar incident, like what happened Thursday, was observed in Mangochi.
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This is happening after the IRC allowed a motion by Attorney General (AG) Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda to discharge the order of the interim relief, meaning that there is nothing to stop State Residences’ officials from transferring the staff unless they seek a fresh motion for interim relief where both parties to the matter have to be heard.
Appearing before High Court of Malawi Judge Chimbizgani Kacheche on July 19 2022 on the same matter, the concerned staff, through their lawyer Luciano Meckeus, argued that State Residences’ decision to transfer them to other MDAs was not fair because they were not consulted on the matter.
The applicants further argued that they applied for State Residences’ jobs and not jobs in MDAs, adding that, if there were transfers, they were supposed to be within the State Residences establishment.
But in his submission, the AG raised a number of objections to the application for injunction, including that the applicants were civil servants who could not, therefore, choose when and where to be transferred to.
The applicants’ move followed a memo from the Office of the President and Cabinet, issued on May 22 2022, on the transfer of about 136 employees from State Residences to other MDAs.
Some of the employees joined the State Residences in 1992.
