13 March 2008
Maputo — Over a hundred Mozambicans who had once been migrant workers in the now defunct German Democratic Republic (GDR) on Wednesday burst into the Labour Ministry, demanding to speak with Labour Minister Helena Taipo.
The former migrants (known colloquially as "Madjermanes") alleged that the Minister had interfered with their right to demonstrate. They claim that they sent a letter to Maputo Municipal Council, informing the Council of their intention to hold a peaceful demonstration on Wednesday. They say they were surprised when the Council replied that, in the absence of an agreement from the Labour Minister, the demonstration could not go ahead.
The protestors said they had been unfairly treated, since the right to demonstrate is enshrined in the Constitution. Zeca Cossa, who claimed to represent the majermanes, justified the invasion of the Ministry, saying all they wanted was to know why "the Minister is interfering in the exercise of our civic right and why she would not allow us to demonstrate".
A group of about 170 protesters tried to enter Taipo's office, but were stopped by the security guard, so they decided to invade other offices on the ground floor of the Ministry, including that of the Permanent Secretary. Since the Permanent Secretary was not in his office, they decided to wait.
Shortly afterwards, the police showed up, including a unit of the Riot Police, who forced them out of the Ministry. Two the demonstrators were arrested, allegedly because they tried to throw stones at the police.
"All we wanted was to march peacefully to protest against the way our problem is being dealt with by the government. We came to the Labour Ministry, and we wanted to talk to the minister, but shortly after this the police came, and some of our colleagues were beaten up", said Cossa.
The National Director of Planning and Statistics in the Ministry, Paulino Mutombene, told reporters he did not know why the group had stormed into the Ministry. "I can't tell you what they wanted, since it was impossible to speak with them", he said.
The former migrants say they want a meeting with the government to demand further payment for what they claim had been deducted from their wages during the time they spent in East Germany.
However, the government reached a final settlement of the majermanes' claims in December 2005. This amounted to payment of 48 million US dollars (staggered over several years). Since there were around 16,000 majermanes registered with the Labour Ministry this settlement came to an average payment of 3,000 dollars per former migrant.
Yet the demands for more money continue: the latest is that the government should pay them interest on their deferred wages. In the final years of the migrant labour agreement with the GDR, 60 per cent of the migrants' wages were paid on their return to Mozambique in the local currency, meticais. The majermanes successfully challenged the exchange rate used and the government agreed to revise it upwards. On top of this comes the demand for interest, which was never raised in the earlier negotiations.
To make matters worse, the majermanes have split. The group around Cossa no longer recognises the leadership of Alberto Mahuaie, the chairperson of the Forum of former Workers in the GDR. He is the man who has been negotiating with the government, and the government will not deal with anyone else until there are fresh elections in the Forum. Zeca Cossa heads an association called ATMA (Association of former Mozambican Workers in Germany), and it is not clear how many former migrants it can claim to represent.
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