The announcement is contained in a statement from the Ministry of Public Administration, Labor and Social Security alluding to International Workers' Day, which was celebrated this Wednesday, in which it is stated that the National Minimum Wage is "one of the objectives of the Angolan executive" and that will happen in the short term.
The Government and three trade unions have been fighting over salary adjustments since last December, when a statement demanding an increase in the national minimum wage was presented to the President, João Lourenço.
In the statement, the Ministry reaffirms its commitment "to improving working and social conditions", highlighting some measures already implemented to improve the social conditions of public servants.
Among these, the Government highlights the promotion and updating of the careers of around 30,000 general regime employees, the institutionalization of subsidies in remote areas for around 100,000 employees, the updating of the remuneration statutes of primary and secondary education teachers, which covered at least 207,000 fewer employees, doubling the income of higher education teachers and scientific researchers.
Other measures are the institutionalization of additional hours for medical, nursing, therapeutic technician, diagnostic and hospital support careers and the implementation of supplementary remuneration that will allow 115,000 public administration employees who earn less than 100,000 kwanzas to earn a higher remuneration above this value, starting in June.
"The executive will continue the implementation of the Roadmap for New Remuneration Architecture in Public Administration (RINAR), from the perspective of a suitable instrument for improving the provision of public services to citizens, through the appreciation of public servants", says.
In the note, the Government reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring contacts between representatives of the Government, employers and workers, with a view to finding balanced solutions regarding working conditions, relationships and income.
For the Government, "there is no doubt that the commitment and exceptional performance of Angolan workers" are the basis for "the construction of strong entities and institutions, which will consequently result in sustainable socioeconomic development for all Angolans".
On the sidelines of the assessment of the second phase of the interpolated general strike, which took place from the 22nd until Tuesday, the trade union centrals appealed to workers not to celebrate May 1st, "as a sign of protest for the difficult social conditions to which they are subject".
The three union centrals 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 Public Service salary, in the order of 250 percent, and a reduction in 10 percent of 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 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 the subsidies provided for in the system of social benefits from the National Institute of National Security (INSS), as well as the shared management of INSS funds, providing "necessary transparency".
