Maputo — Workers of the private security company Siner Seguranca, in the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane, have gone on strike for an indefinite period, demanding seven months of wage arrears and improvements in their working conditions.

According to a report in the Beira daily paper “Diario de Mocambique”, the strikers walked out on Monday and held an impromptu demonstration outside the Inhambane railway station, carrying placards denouncing the company management.

In addition to the seven months unpaid wages, the striker are demanding overtime pay, and protective clothing such as boots, raincoats, and jackets against the cold in some periods of the year. The basic wage, for all the security workers, is 2,510 meticais (about 85 US dollars) a month.

On Monday, representatives of the company, the union committee and the Inhambane Provincial Labour Directorate met, but could reach no agreement since the company management said it could only pay one month of the arrears.

“We can go back to work if they pay all the money they owe us”, said Amaral. “They owe each worker about 17,500 meticais, and we don’t want to accept just a part of what’s owing”.

The workers promise that, if the case continues until the end of the years, the matter will be taken to court.

This is the second time that the Siner Seguranca workers have protested publicly against late payment of their wages. The first occasion was in May, when the wages were five months in arrears.