24 April 2008
Maputo — The Labour Consultative Commission (CCT), the tripartite negotiating forum between the Mozambican government, the trade unions, and the employers' associations, on Wednesday reached agreement to submit to the full Cabinet proposals for increases in the statutory minimum wage for eight sectors of activity.
The only sector where no agreement on wages has yet been reached is the public administration, defence and security.
Labour Minister Helena Taipo, as chairperson of the CCT, gave this sector a deadline of Saturday to produce its proposal so that this can be included in the full document to be submitted to the Cabinet.
She said that these proposals are the result of consensus reached during discussions in the specialized commissions involving employers and trade unions, set up by the CTT.
In the past there were just two minimum wages - one for industry and services (including the public sector), and one for agriculture. Now there will be nine separate minimum wages. The percentage increases proposed range from 10 to 30 per cent, thus massively widening differentials.
In detail, the proposals are as follows: Fisheries: 10 per cent Mining: 15 per cent Agriculture, Livestock and Forestry: 16 per cent Construction: 16 per cent Non-financial services: 17 per cent Financial Activities: 18 per cent Manufacturing Industry: 20 per cent Electricity, gas and water: 29.8 per cent.
The current minimum industrial wage is 1,645.5 meticais (about 68 US dollars) a month, while the minimum agricultural wage is 1,126.5 meticais a month.
Taipo described the negotiations as successful, stressing that they had allowed a climate of trust between workers and employers.
The secretary general of the largest Mozambican Trade Union Federation, the OTM, Alexandre Munguambe, said that though the agreement still does not cover the cost of a basic package of goods required for an average five member family, these are the best results for workers achieved in any negotiations for the past five years.
The chairperson of the Confederation of Mozambican Business Associations (CTA), Salimo Abdula, described the consensus as "a pleasant surprise", and said that the proposed minimum wages should be regulated by law to be binding and fully abided by.
"This process represents a growth in social responsibilities, both by the trade unions and the employers in the context of an ever tougher global economy shown by the soaring prices of oil on the international market", said Abdula.
Mad/bm/pf (404)
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
