In a press release, to which the Lusa agency had access, the trade unions emphasize that it was "with perplexity" that they learned of the announcement of an increase of 30 thousand kwanzas to public administration salaries by the president of the MPLA, in his capacity as holder of executive power, João Lourenço.
The announcement was made on Friday by João Lourenço, when he was speaking at the opening of the meeting of the Central Committee of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA).
The President approved, on Friday, the additional remuneration of 30,000 kwanzas for public servants and administrative agents of the general public service regime, which comes into force from June 1st.
For the trade unions, the announcement of this increase, starting in June, "does not respond to the concerns registered in the list of demands", which relate to updating not only public administration salaries, in the order of 100 percent, but also the minimum wage in the order of 100 thousand kwanzas, as well as the reduction of the tax burden, "which has been a real lion in the face of workers' meager income".
"The trade unions consider, on the other hand, that the Government's unilateral position of determining what should or should not be offered to workers, regardless of the cost of living and the level of inflation, reflects the Government's indifference to the real concerns of workers", referred to in the note.
These union forces remember that the ongoing demand aims not only to see the salary of the public administration updated, but also of the public and private business sector, by updating the minimum wage and reducing the tax burden.
"In view of the indifference, as well as the absence of concrete proposals in the negotiations, the unions reaffirm the suspension of all activities from Monday", the note reads.
In the statement of demands, presented in September 2023 to the President of the Republic, the three trade unions demand an increase in the national minimum wage, from the current 32,000 kwanzas, to 245,000 kwanzas, a "flexible" proposal, however, to 100,000 kwanzas, an adjustment of the Civil Service salary, in the order of 250 percent, and a 10 percent reduction in Labor Income Tax (IRT).
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.
The three union centrals – 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) – also demand the updating of subsidies provided for in the social benefits system of the National Institute of National Security (INSS), as well as the shared management of INSS funds, providing "necessary transparency".
For the first time, the three union centrals came together to carry out an interpolated general strike, with the first phase of the strike, which took place from the 20th to the 22nd of March, being marked by coercion and arrests of workers who joined the strike.
