Africa-Press – Angola. The Angolan Journalists’ Union (SJA) reported this Thursday that the boards of directors and coordinators of public media outlets are drawing up lists of workers who will join the strike, urging journalists to denounce acts that violate their rights.
In a statement seen by Lusa, the SJA said it learned of these complaints “with great concern,” stressing that the law enshrines the freedom to join a strike as a fundamental right of workers and provides for a prison sentence for anyone who prevents a lawful strike from taking place.
Workers at public media companies or those under state supervision in Angola decided last week to go on an interpolated general strike, the first phase of which begins next week, demanding a 58% wage increase.
The decision to launch a general strike was unanimously approved at a general assembly led by the SJA, with workers applauding in unison the phased strike until next December.
The SJA management guarantees that “it will monitor and document all acts that violate the law, to ensure that those involved are held legally accountable.”
The strike will take place in four phases: the first between September 8 and 12, the second from October 9 to 19, the third from November 10 to 24 and the last between December 10 and 24.
The strike was approved by workers at the National Radio of Angola (RNA), Public Television of Angola (TPA), Edições Novembro (owner of the Jornal de Angola, Jornal dos Desportos, Jornal Cultura and Jornal Economia e Finanças), Agência Angola Press, Media Nova (owner of the Jornal O País, Rádio Mais and Gráfica Dammer) and TV Zimbo, the latter two already owned by the State as part of the asset recovery process.
At the general meeting, employees expressed “deep dissatisfaction and indignation” at the “non-compliance” with the agreement signed last April, which provided for a 58% salary increase to take effect in August 2025.
The agreement also established retroactive payments for the months of June and July, “which to date has not been implemented without formal justification from the employers,” the statement reads.
The assembly also decided to exclude the provision of minimum services while the strike lasts, a decision that also extends to the provincial secretariats of the SJA at the national level.
At the end of August, the Angolan government approved a 27% salary increase for employees of public media companies, with implementation scheduled for next October, following a meeting with the chairmen of the boards of directors and the SJA.
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