There has been a fresh call for an increment of the minimum wage, by the Centre for Social Concern (CfSC) and Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU).

The two parties have attributed the push to  the rising cost of living, which the current wage of K50,000 cannot sustain.  The grievance has been presented in the 2022/23 National Budget proposal, to which Minister of Finance Felix Mlusu responded “We will look at the views and ideas that will give us quick wins in our implementation.”

On 1st January 2020, the Minimum Wage was officially revised upwards from K962 per day to K 1,346.16 per day. The above has been formalized through Government Gazette Notice No.68 headed EMPLOYMENT ACT (CAP. 55:01) (AMMENDMENT) ORDER 2019.  A year later, amidst the coronavirus pandemic and a rising cost of living, workers are failing to make ends meet.

Meanwhile, the CfSC Economic Governance and Programs Coordinator Bernard Mphepo says inflation will continue rising and consequently raise the cost of living. “The increasing inflation is raising serious threats to the wellbeing of Malawians because the cost of living will rise. We therefore call upon the government to address the problem of inflation, especially in this lean period,” Mphepo said.