Lilongwe City Council workers down tools
Some workers of Lilongwe City Council (LCC) have closed down the council’s offices, demanding a 20 percent pay hike.
The workers include sewage system operators and cleaners.
One of the workers, Rija Phiri, said LCC does not want to increase their pay, despite other councils hiking perks for their employees.
The workers, who were close to 50, blocked the entrance of the council in the afternoon while some of their colleagues at the council’s main office at City Centre were still inside.
“The government said every labour worker should have his/ her salary increased but we have not been considered, so we came to ask the Chief Executive Officer here and he said he has to investigate. Our concern is that our counterparts from Blantyre and Mzuzu had their salaries raised but not us,” Phiri said.
LCC spokesperson, Tamara Chafunya, was not immediately available for a comment.
In 2019/20 budget, the government raised the minimum wage to K35, 000 from the initial K25, 000.
The strike comes amid teachers also striking to receive their December salaries. Last week, Blantyre City Council workers also staged protests to push for a pay rise.
