According to the spokesperson for the trade unions, some ministerial departments, notably the Ministry of Health, have already discounted the salaries of workers who joined the strike this month.
In a press conference, the general secretary of the Union of Angolan Journalists (SJA) and spokesperson for the trade unions highlighted that the Strike Law gives the employer the right to deduct or not, but the normal procedure "is that absences occurring in the month of March should be reflected in the month of April".
"What is at stake is not just a legal issue, what is at stake for us, the trade unions, is an exercise in intolerance, (...) it is an exercise in the demobilization of workers and, ultimately, it is an exercise that aims to pit workers against union leaders", said Teixeira Cândido, considering that "this is not just a mere law enforcement exercise".
The workers carried out the first phase of a general strike, which took place between the 20th and 22nd of this month, demanding the update of the national minimum wage, a salary review for civil servants, and the reduction of Labor Income Tax (IRT), among other requirements.
Teixeira Cândido stressed that the statement of demands was presented on September 5, 2023, but negotiations only began in December, when the Strike Law provides for a 20-day deadline for negotiation, highlighting the "reasonableness" of the workers, who extended dialogue for up to three months, without finding consensus.
The spokesperson for 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) highlighted that with the current salary minimum of 32 thousand kwanzas, "workers are not even able to buy four or five products from the basic basket".
"Our claim results from the fact that we have lost purchasing power, due to inflation", added Teixeira Cândido, appealing to workers for understanding, as they are faced with "a struggle" for subsistence, "which requires sacrifices, such as accepting salary discounts".
"We cannot continue idly by in the face of the current socio-economic context in which the majority of workers live", he stressed.
The president of the National Union of Doctors of Angola, Adriano Manuel, said that 54 thousand kwanzas were deducted from him, reminding his colleagues that "sacrifice is important".
"The Government of Angola is pushing us towards destitution, poverty, negatively influencing women to turn to prostitution to survive", he highlighted.
The general secretary of the National Teachers' Union (Sinprof), Admar Jinguma, said that the unions are willing to return to the negotiating table, "but not for a deaf dialogue".
"The Government has not relaxed at all so far, the Government remains fixed in its positions. There is no point in retaliation, threats, arrests, discounts, which aim to demobilize workers, because this can have a completely opposite effect", he said.
The deputy general secretary of UNTA-CS rejected the Government's information that 80 percent of the workers' demands had already been met, when only three of the five points in the list of demands were discussed, with the second phase of the strike already scheduled for the 22nd and 30th of April.
