Three health workers unions; NONM, PAUM, and MDUM – have threatened to join the impending industrial action organized by the Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) and the Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) if the government ignores their demands in the upcoming budget.
In a joint press statement, the National Organization of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi, the Physicians Assistants Union of Malawi, and the Medical Doctors Union of Malawi are calling on the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Simplex Chithyola Banda to include health sector-specific allowances in the budget to be presented on Friday, 28 February 2025.
The unions say the allowances were previously agreed upon in the Conciliatory Settlement Agreement and are crucial to the welfare and motivation of health workers, particularly during these economically challenging times.
The unions further emphasized that if the 2025/2026 national budget will not capture the allowances which they say were carried over from the secular dated 24th June 2024, they will be compelled to join CSTU and TUM industrial action.
“The three unions join and stand in solidarity with the actions proposed and scheduled by the Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) and the Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM),” reads part of the statement. “After all, NONM, PAUM & MDUM are equally planning for a similar action if the budget which the minister of Finance and Economic Affairs is going to present on February 28th 2025, misses out the health sector specific allowances.”
The unions report that they wrote two reminders to the Minister, dated November 2nd, 2024, and January 13th, 2025, to include the allowances in the budget.
