Angolan university professors announced today that they rejected the “insignificant” salary increase of 6%, proposed by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, aiming to stop the strike, which has lasted three months, for “not dignifying” the class.
According to the secretary general of the Angolan National Union of Higher Education Teachers (Sinpes), Eduardo Peres Alberto, João Lourenço’s proposal was delivered by the minister of Public Administration during a negotiating meeting last Friday.
“At the meeting, the MAPTSS Minister [Ministério da Administração Pública, Trabalho e Segurança Social] handed over to the union the salary proposal coming from the President of the Republic, it has an increase of 6%, a percentage that does not dignify the teaching class and that is why we reject it”, the unionist told Lusa today.
But as it is a matter of negotiations, he noted, the union “did not agree, rejected the same proposal and will have to present a counterpoint to the President of the Republic’s proposal by Friday”, for when a general meeting is scheduled.
Salary increases, better working conditions, payment of public debt and elections of the governing bodies of public higher education institutions are some of the demands of Angolan teachers on strike since January 3, 2022.
The secretary general of Sinpes recalls that the strike, for an indefinite period, arises as a result of “non-compliance” with the memorandum of understanding signed in November 2021 “by the authorities”.
A salary equivalent to US$2,000 (1,700 euros) for the intern assistant professor and US$5,000 (4,400 euros) for the full professor are Sinpes’ salary proposals to counteract the current “mediocre salaries”.
Eduardo Peres Alberto made it known that with the proposal for a salary increase of 6%, presented on Friday, the full professor will have a net salary of 598,000 kwanzas (1,100 euros), the associate professor a net salary of 546,000 kwanzas (1,000 euros). ), assistant professor 514,000 kwanzas (about 1,000 euros), the assistant a salary of 483,000 kwanzas (952 euros) and the intern 410,000 kwanzas (808 euros).
“Therefore, this amount is tiny because there has been no evolution”, said the leader of Sinpes, who led a demonstration by university professors in Luanda on March 19 against non-compliance with the memorandum.
The strike “continues indefinitely, but the general assembly will evaluate and guide its continuity or not”, highlighted Peres Alberto.
The Angolan Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation considered, last February, that the salary increase for teachers on strike was a “delicate and complex process”, guaranteeing, however, that actions were being taken at the Government level in this area, based on a more general approach to public administration salaries”.
Last Friday’s meeting brought together at the ministry’s headquarters, in Luanda, the head of the body, Teresa Rodrigues Dias, the minister of Higher Education, Maria do Rosário Bragança Samba, and members of the national secretariat of Sinpes.
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