José Joaquim Laurindo reacted, in statements to the Lusa agency, to the President's announcement, as leader of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), of the approval in the coming days of a new national minimum wage.
"A proposal for a fair national minimum wage can never be lower than the price of the basic food basket, which is currently worth 122,000 kwanzas," said José Joaquim Laurindo.
João Lourenço, who was speaking in Menongue, capital of Cuando Cubango province, where he presented the MPLA's Political Agenda for 2022, the year in which the country's fifth general elections are held, in August, did not advance any proposal, admitting the need for this increase. for the recovery of household purchasing power.
"In compliance with the policies defended by the MPLA, the Executive will approve in the coming days the increase in the national minimum wage and the adjustment of civil service salaries, thus increasing the monthly income of workers and families", said João Lourenço.
At a press conference held on Thursday, in Luanda, the secretary general of UNTA-CS announced that the outcome, which they augur well, of the process of reviewing the General Labor Law, is near, and the same is not happening in relation to salary. national minimum, whose proposals found "are diametrically opposed".
"That is to say, both the executive's proposal, which is quite low, and that of the employers' group, which is also low, do not find and will not find acceptance by the Angolan trade union movement as a whole", he said.
José Joaquim Laurindo asked union members and leaders to prepare themselves "for a fierce fight in this national minimum wage dossier".
In 2019, the Government set the minimum wage at 21,454.10 kwanzas for the agriculture and civil service sector, 26,817.00 kwanzas for transport, services and manufacturing and 32,181.00 kwanzas for trade and extractive industry, an increase of 30 percent compared to the value defined in 2017.
Unions refuse any adjustment of the minimum wage below the basic basket
The secretary general of the National Union of Workers of Angola - Trade Union Confederation (UNTA-CS) said, in Luanda, that an increase in the acceptable national minimum wage cannot be below 100,000 kwanzas.
