Police descend on courts to evict striking Judiciary staff

Aug 19, 2017 Politics 51
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Malawi High Court Strike

Police officers on Friday forced striking Judiciary employees out of court premises across Malawi on orders from government.

Malawi High Court Strike
Police officers forced striking Judiciary employees out of court premises.

The Judiciary support staff were evicted from High and Supreme Court premises in Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu by police four days after government said it will deal with the workers.

After the police sealed court premises in Blantyre, a female police officer told the workers that they should continue striking at their homes.

“We are asking you to peacefully go home or continue striking somewhere else other than this government property,” said the police officer.

The Judiciary workers however vowed to return to work on Monday. One of their leaders Andrew Hariya said the support staff will be back at the court on Monday since Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda will address them.

The Judiciary employees who include court reporters, interpreters, court clerks and drivers have been on strike for over three weeks to force government to start giving them house allowances.

However, government earlier this week refused to grant the workers their wishes saying it has no obligation to give them house allowances.

Government also described the strike as illegal and   promised to take action against the workers if they refused to go back to work.

 

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51 Comments

  1. Yet this is a good step the police to be getting house allowance also. Most police people are struggling with rents in town. Their grades are so pathetic ; N, M, L mmmmmm !

  2. Kodi pamenepa ndiye tidziti tikupita kuti? Ku Police kapena Ku Court. Anthu wopenga inu mwapanga bwanji. Zovuta kwambiritu zimenezi. Kumangidwa komanso kuzengedwa mulandu ndi police yomweyo?

  5. Malawi ndi Osauka ma strick mukungotsazilana, kenaka boma palibe lachita muzitelo mukuiwala kuti inu ndi anthu omwe mukupangana nawo zopusawo tose ndife a MW zimenezi zingatukule dziko? tiziti enawo atalowa angakweze ndikupeleka ndalama mmene ma unduna nonse mumafunila? kodi zoti you need to have a H /allowance adziwa liti? kapena aona boma la Dpp basi simply be busy breaking somebody’s cv koma a MW.

  7. This is not good, turning the country into apolice state, where is dialogue, will this make them resume their duties???

  10. Malawi sazamva.Inu ndalama zomwe mumalandilazo ndi misonkho ya anthu,pomwe mwa ambiri opeleka misonkhowo mma company momwe amagwira samawapatsa House Allowance,tsopano inu odya misonkho yanthu mufuna H/allowance.Apa ngati simukufuna ntchito muisiye chifukwa ndinu nomwe amzanu akamapanga ngati zomwezi,mumauza ma company okhuzidwawo kuti oyambitsawo achosedwe.Nanu a Boma apaseni malire kuti abwelere pantchito ngati sakufuna achoke mulembere ena.Inu malawi ili ndianthu angati aluntha ofuna ntchito?.Mumaona ngati inu ndiamzeru mukamamphangira zaboma amalawi omwe akupeleka misonkho akuvutika eti?.Palibe H/allowance ngati simufuna ntchito siyani.

    1. Charles thats true this people they want to say all civi sevarnts should have house? if not basi azinyanyala ntchito? moyo umenewowo siuthandiza MW coz others ara lucking job but u r playing with ngati mwatopa kunena.

  11. This is dangerous precedent.
    Striking staff ought to strike within their work environment.
    I doubt if the strike is illegal. Were the notices to strike not given, were not the two parties concilliating?
    Let the concilliator finalise his mediation and decide on the matter. We have the laws to follow in our country and i don’t know if we have MCTU in this country oh i forgot paja ndi ma board member, sadlycan represent workers in good faith. Eish

    1. May be if I can ask you, were they promised house allowances during their time of employment? I am also a civil servant who stays panyumba ya rent while my friends are staying in government houses(kuchipatala). Do you mean we should also start striking? Lets use our common sense sometimes for the sake of our loved country

    3. Housing Allowances are not promised when it comes to employment contract. They surely have letters of employment whose contract terms specify when their Housing Allowances are to be adjusted. Remember, some have clean wage bills where all these were consolidated while others are yet to consolidate these.

      Hospital staff have always been on strike demanding locum and over time and peoplehave died. Recently, even civil servants threatened to strike over a 10% increment but this was avoided because they won and were given a percentage more than that.

      Don’t say your friends shouldn’t strike when your terms of conditions differ. These are public servants whilst you are civil servants. Let them resolve their issue through conciliation.

  14. We r tired with those striking in government institutions if they are not interested to work they should simply pack & go everyday we here about strike how can a country develop in that way? Go for vending & see how life is tough am angry with strikes

  16. Azigwira ntchito mmalo mwa support staff ndi Polisiyo? Last time a biggie wa ali a Nduna aza maphunziro used police to invade Chancellor college. Lets see if it will solve the current problem.

    1. Akulu be mature here! The issue at Chanco and Judiciary is very different ! Chanco strike never affected the public it was there issues ,secondly it shows you don’t know the working conditions in the judiciary! No one in temporary list is entitled to housing allowance! So if you don’t understand anything ,please just shut up!

  17. A polisi zomwezi kutengera hard.Ngati mulibe ufulu wochita sitalaka musiyile anzanu ali ndi mwayi wotere.Chilichonse force,zaziiii.We are not in a police state.We are in a democratic state.

  18. Its quite a show, i mean the executive has turned itself into a law enforcer and is now able to determine the illegality of the legal body’s behavior

  19. INDEED IF THE CHIEF JUSTICE, ANDREW NYIRENDA IS TO ADDRESS THEM PER-SAY, THEN LET IT BE SO: LET MALAWI HAVE PARTICIPATORY VIEWS IN A FREE & FAIR SOLUTION!!!

  20. Government should take tough measures against these idiot striking people. Anybody who is not willing to work should lose his or her job. It’s just lucky to get job nowadays. Many people are ready to take up those positions.

    1. its only in malawi when someone is excising his or her rights is called an idiot, its so pathetic and with this kind of thinking we can not develop. blind loyalty at work, those people in high office they make us believe kuti kulibe ndalama and its only shallow minded people who can take that as true. its only in Malawi where your Job is on pending when you cry for good working conditions so unnerving. Ndagha En-Kay Kachaka

    2. Our wage bills are high and government was advised to stop increasing salaries because that will hit hard economic growth because almost all national budget will go to salaries only.

    4. #Daisoni how do u define the statement that our wage bills are high, do u mean that the civil servants ara receiving good wages??

    6. I don’t mean in that way but government has tried its best for the past three years to increase salaries. You can even appreciate it now than before. Increasing salaries is a good idea but should depend on economic growth. Government for the past three years has been increasing salaries regardless of economic hardships. That process has brought our wage bills to higher position comparing to the growth of economy. To address that,the IMF has advised Malawi government to stop increasing salaries because it has brought problems on our economy.

    8. Government has not tried anything. Government is wrong here. The government side and the staff agreed on the concilliation process to resolve the matter. All parties are represented. Hence, its surprising to note government is using intimidation tactics. Its sad.

      Under the Labour Relations Act, No. 16 of 1996, the power to determine whether the strike is illegal or not lies in the Courts. Tell me has any Court made that determination?

      Lets follow our laws and not buy what politicians want us to hear

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