According to the spokesperson for the three trade unions that are leading this three-day strike, which began on Wednesday, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, provincial directors of education, general and higher education and hospitals are coercing the workers who joined the strike.
The strike was called by three union centrals – the Central Geral de Sindicatos Independentes e Livres de Angola (CGSILA), União Nacional dos Trabalhadores Angolanos - Confederação Sindical (UNTA-CS) and Força Sindical - Central Sindical (FS-CS), for not reaching an agreement with the Government on their demands to increase the national minimum wage, reduce taxes and improve working conditions.
Teixeira Cândido, the general secretary of the Union of Angolan Journalists (SJA), also said that the union centrals condemned the summary trial of three union members, Wednesday, the first day of the strike, in the province of Huambo.
"The trade union centrals condemn the summary trial of three trade unionists in the province of Huambo, as they consider it to be an act of public intimidation with the aim of inhibiting the exercise of trade union freedom and the right to strike", he said.
The union centrals highlighted that, "despite the intimidation recorded, workers from Cabinda to Cunene remained firm, at home, thus reaffirming the fight for social dignity", they highlighted.
The list of demands was presented to the Government on September 5, 2023, and negotiations began in December, but the workers concluded that there was no satisfactory response from the executive to their demands, with differences remaining regarding the increase in the minimum wage and the public service, updating subsidies and reducing taxes.
The trade unions began by demanding an increase in the minimum wage from the current 32,000 kwanzas, to 245,000 kwanzas, a "flexible" proposal, however, to 100,000 kwanzas and a readjustment of public service salaries, in the order of 250 percent.
The executive decided to propose a minimum wage depending on the size of the company, namely 48,000 kwanzas for small companies, 70,000 kwanzas for medium-sized companies and 96,000 kwanzas for large companies, which was rejected by the unions.
In 1998, the first interpolated general strike was carried out, carried out by CGSILA lasting three days, this being the second general strike, but the first bringing together the three union centers in the country.
