Teachers in public primary and secondary schools across the country have threatened to hold a national wide strike over unpaid leave grants on June 5 2017.
This has been disclosed in letter addressed to the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Development dated May 23 copied to the Chief Secretary to government signed by Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) Secretary General Charles Kumchenga.
According to Kumchenga, the teachers will go on strike on June 5 2017 if government does not include their May 2017 salary with the 2016/17 Fiscal year Leave Grant.
“You will all recall that TUM urged government to pay the Leave Grant by April 2017 and this never materialized and in the spirit of industrial peace, TUM urged government to seriously consider paying the Leave Grant by May 2017. I should therefore emphasize that Teachers Union of Malawi leadership is under pressure from the suffering teachers to explain on issue under contention.
“In the event that the Leave Grant is not paid together with May 2017 salaries, I am afraid to indicate that teachers shall be left with no other option than going into a peaceful sit-in from Monday 5th June 2017, which shall only be called off upon payment of the long awaited Leave Grants,” reads in part the statement.
Meanwhile government is yet to respond on teachers demand.
