Speaking to the press, after the document was assessed by the Economic Committee of the Council of Ministers, the Secretary of State for Labor and Social Security, Pedro Filipe, said that the request for legislative authorization was forwarded to the National Assembly for the President to amend the Presidential Legislative Decree of May 12, 2022 and, consequently, approve the tables that must reflect the 25 percent salary adjustment, which, according to the agreement achieved, should have come into effect in January.
The governor stressed that, with this step, "another stage has been completed", waiting for parliament to assess the relevance of the request, so that subsequent steps can be taken.
"We understand the great expectations that this issue of salary adjustment has raised in society, among civil servants and others. We believe that the expectations are legitimate, and we believe that the anxiety is legitimate," he said.
In early January, the government announced the postponement of a 25 percent salary increase for public servants until the end of March, citing a lack of approval of the legislative package in parliament, in the face of discontent among unions who say they were caught off guard.
Pedro Filipe highlighted that "this is the materialization of yet another phase and a very clear sign of the commitment of the Government of Angola in relation to the materialization of this measure", guaranteeing that these procedures must be concluded "at the latest by the end of March", with retroactive payments for January and February being guaranteed.
"This means that the 25 percent adjustment will take effect from January of this year. The payment of retroactive payments is duly guaranteed and we should not harm employees and administrative agents due to the need to follow this procedure," he added.
The Secretary of State for Labor and Social Security stressed that the government remains open to dialogue with its social partners, in particular, the three trade unions that signed, in May last year, an agreement with the government, which put an end to a general strike in the public service to demand improvements in salaries and working conditions.
"We have a solid and healthy relationship with the trade unions, with whom we have held regular meetings to assess the level of compliance with the three-year agreement – we signed this agreement in May, which lasts for three years – and there are a series of measures that must be taken to be achieved in the short, medium and long term", he said.
According to Pedro Filipe, since the signing of the agreement, four meetings have been held between the parties to inform the level of compliance, considering the interaction with their social partners "very healthy and constant".
"We are aware that we are doing our part in the best possible way. Steps are being taken, the evidence is here for all to see," said the official, highlighting that an additional amount of more than 800 billion kwanzas for this salary adjustment.
Pedro Filipe stated that, given the measures being taken, "there is no reason to take extreme positions".
According to the Secretary of State, once the legislative authorization is approved, through a resolution of the National Assembly, the President of the Republic will have the possibility of approving the decree that will replace Presidential Legislative Decree 03/22, of May 12.
