The dust refuses to settle in Malawi public universities as members of the support staff threaten to boycott their work if the management fails to increase their salaries by 40 percent.
The development comes barely two weeks after the University of Malawi (UNIMA) management and Government, resolved the long-standing impasse with the academic staff of Chancellor College (Chanco). A dispute over salary discrepancies between constituent colleges led to the closure of the College to almost six months.
Maravi Post has established that members of UNIMA support staff will hold a meeting with their management today (Wednesday) to hear their decision on the requested 40 percent salary increase, which they made last year.
It is also reported that the UNIMA management is failing to adjust the salaries of the support and administrative staff for almost four years, because it has been with other sectors.
Meanwhile the UNIMA Workers Trade Union (UWTU) Secretary General James Khando, confirmed the looming threat to down tools.
He said the decision made by the Government to only resolve the academic staff salary issues, has angered UNIMA’s support and administrative staff.
Khando said the members feel like Government is underrating their work.
“The workers have been lodging their complaints for four years, but to no avail. As it was last year, Government said it failed to adjust our salaries due to financial crisis, which was because of the floods that hit the country. But this year, we shall not listen to any excuse,” Khando said.
Efforts to talk to UNIMA management proved futile.