Workers in Public Services Set to Strike Over Unpaid Allowances

Public Services Workers Union members go on an indefinite strike effective today, Monday, October 21, 2024. This strike comes after the government's inability to address their demands for institution-specific allowances. To public service workers, these are meaningful allowances that point to the peculiar nature of the work and challenges in the various institutions. After trying dialogue to resolve this, the union says the government has not been responsive.

What the union is concerned about is the fact that this has been a persistent issue, notwithstanding numerous engagements with the government. Nonpayment of allowance has heightened financial pressure on public service workers, whose majority are struggling to make ends meet with rising living costs. Members feel their efforts are undervalued and these allowances are overdue.

Following the announcement of strike action, the FWSC pleaded with the PSWU to rescind their decision on the premise that their strike would delay the ongoing negotiations. According to the FWSC, "it was impossible to continue negotiating while the union embarked on industrial action." The Labor Act, Act 651, also states that one cannot go on strike when negotiations are still ongoing. They, therefore, argued that the actions by PSWU run afoul of this agreement.

One of the sticky issues is the belated implementation of recommendations from a nine-member committee set up in 2022 to review the Single Spine Pay Policy. Proposals by the committee were meant to iron out compensation issues in the public sector, and yet nothing meaningful has been done.