Africa-Press – Angola. Workers from the public company of Water and Sanitation of Huambo (EPASH) stopped their activities this Monday, to demand the implementation of the occupational qualification, agreed in 2022.
Despite the strike, the minimum services will be safeguarded, which include water distribution, at least for a few hours, in the centralities of Lossambo (Huambo), Fernando Faustino Muteka (Caála) and Halavala (Bailundo).
Residents of the three housing projects are those who are suffering most from restrictions in water supply, as they do not have alternative sources.
According to a note from the union nucleus of the public company of Water and Sanitation of Huambo reached, this is the first phase of the strike, scheduled to end on the 25th of this month, with the aim of putting pressure on the Board of Directors to implement o occupational qualification, which provides, among others, an increase in the minimum wage from 38 thousand to 63 thousand Kwanzas.
In case of non-compliance, it reads, the 2nd phase must be lifted (from 31st to 3rd November) and if the situation prevails, the union will trigger the 3rd and 4th phases, scheduled for 6th to 9th and from 12th to 14 of next month, respectively.
When reacting to the workers’ position, the president of the Board of Directors of EPAS in the province of Huambo, Adolfo Elias Gomes, hopes for a consensus between the parties as quickly as possible, taking into account the impact that the strike is having on the consumers’ lives.
The manager defends a gradual implementation of the occupational qualification, as the company’s revenue comes from paying for services provided to the population, many of which do not have a culture of regular payment.
With 376 workers, the Water and Sanitation company in Huambo currently has 86 thousand registered customers, of which 56 thousand are active, but with a payment culture of around 50 percent.
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