Mozambique: Govt owes teachers €1.3 million for 2022 overtime – Finance Ministry

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Mozambique: Govt owes teachers €1.3 million for 2022 overtime – Finance Ministry

5:26 CAT | 06 Jan 2024

File photo: O País

Mozambique’s Ministry of Economy and Finance acknowledges that it must still pay teachers more than 87 million meticais (€1.3 million) for overtime worked in 2022, but says it has detected situations of “bloating”.

In a clarification sent to Lusa on Thursday in the face of protests from teachers demanding these payments, the finance ministry reveals that the education sector billed 236,244,405.95 meticais (€3.4 million) for overtime in the months of October and November, 2022.

Of this total, 158,190,652.16 meticais (€2.3 million) was validated, for 5,404 employees, and 71,113,995.11 meticais (€1 million) has already been paid to 2,474 employees at 137 schools.

“Which makes up a part of the universe of schools in the city and province of Maputo, the cities of Quelimane and Nampula, with payment of 87,076,657.06 meticais corresponding to 2,930 employees still outstanding,” the statement reads.

Dozens of Mozambican teachers took to the streets of Matola, on the outskirts of Maputo, on Wednesday to protest over delays in payment for overtime and threatening to boycott the start of the school year in the country.

“If the government does not respond to our concerns, it can rest assured that the teachers , on the opening day [of the school year], instead of presenting themselves at schools, will present themselves in the gardens, squares and streets, to claim their rights,” Isac Marrengula, president of the National Association of Teachers (ANAPRO), told the media.

Various professional classes, including teachers, doctors and health professionals, have since 2023 complained of delays in the payment of salaries and overtime since the introduction of the public sector Single Salary Table (TSU).

Holding posters with messages such as “They cheated us with the TSU” and “Pay for overtime”, the teachers marched through the streets of Matola in their white coats, singing protest songs and demanding the payment of overtime.

Information released to the press on Thursday by the Ministry of Economy and Finance highlights that with the implementation of the TSU in October and November 2022, overtime “was not processed, and a validation procedure was instituted by the General Inspectorate of Finance”.

“The assessment of information regarding the overtime work carried out by state employees and agents in the remaining schools resumes this month; it includes the debt relating to the 2023 financial year”, the note adds.

The Ministry of Finance also states that “the amount of 337,421,590.71 meticais, payable to 3,235 employees from 149 schools” has so far been validated”

It also states that, “in coordination” with the Ministry of Education and Human Development, the Ministry of Economy and Finance “has been working on the process of improving and controlling overtime worked by teaching staff” and that the government “has prioritised the payment of salary and other supplements,” whereas overtime must be “subject to the verification and validation process”.

Previous inspection of overtime expenses had revealed irregularities such as presentation of overtime “without evidence of its completion”, calculation of these compensation “without completing the minimum mandatory working hours”, scheduling of overtime “without having signed the time book”, overtime claimed for weekly rest days, and “bloated hours”.

Source: AIM