Information Minister Gospel Kazako who is a majority shareholder of private owned Zodiak Broadcasting Corporation has been dragged to the Commissioner of Labour with newsroom staff demanding 50% increments after years of receiving peanuts.
Zodiak station, Malawi’s largest and credible TV and Radio station, is however among the lowest paying media institution that for years it has lost out too many of the station’s bright stars.
In letters to the Commissioner of Labour seen by Malawi24, the newsroom staff reports the Minister of Information that he has not paid them any wage increment since 2017 until late 2020 when they threatened to drag him to court. 
“The office had raised salaries for other departments and not the newsroom. We were verbally promised increment by the MD (Kazako). Nothing happened until December 1, 2020 when we asked management to come to negotiating table. Instead of meeting us, they raised salaries between 10 to 25 %,” says the letter to the Labour Commission.
Zodiak nonskilled staff earns around K50,000 while Journalists are paid K150,000 as gross pay before taxes. The Centre for Social Concern estimates the cost of living in urban areas to be K250,000 per month for a family of five.
Meanwhile, all employees who signed the letter have been transferred.
ine ndili ku mastand kuwonelera