Africa-Press – Angola. The consensus reached between the Angolan Government and the trade unions, in relation to the issues in the list of demands presented in September 2023 to the Executive, constituted the social highlight of the week that ends, Saturday.
The country’s three trade union centrals, namely Força Sindical, UNTA-Confederação Sindical and the Central Geral dos Sindicatos Independentes e Livres de Angola (CGSSILA), demanded a salary increase in the Public Service, an increase in the national minimum wage, a reduction in the Tax on Income from Work (IRT) and participation in the management of the National Social Security Institute (INSS).
As part of the negotiations, the parties signed an agreement regarding a phased salary increase of 25 percent annually, effective from 2025, as well as a national minimum wage of 70 thousand kz.
The three-year agreement should remain in force until 2027 and is the result of a combination of the structuring issues presented by the trade unions.
According to the Secretary of State for Labor and Social Security, Pedro Filipe, a national minimum wage was set at 70 thousand kwanzas, with micro-enterprises and startups increasing to 50 thousand kwanzas.
Companies that already have a salary of 70 thousand kwanzas will have one year to progressively evolve up to one hundred thousand kwanzas, while those that are below this value will have two years to reach this limit.
On the matter, the spokesperson for the Central Unions, Teixeira Cândido, said that the unions will continue to fight for greater dignity for Angolan workers, so negotiations will be permanent.
This week, Minister Sílvia Lutucuta said that the Angolan Executive has given special attention to the Health sector, despite the financial limitations that the country is experiencing.
The minister was speaking during a meeting with the director general of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) for National Programs, Thabani Maphosa, on the sidelines of the 77th session of the World Health Assembly, which runs from May 27th to June 1st, in the city of Geneva, Switzerland.
Sílvia Lutucuta was pleased with the fact that Angola had the support of the European Bank (BE) for the acquisition of the vaccine against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV).
This institution will acquire the necessary quantity for the current year, and there is also a promise of additional credit from GAVI for 2025 to support Angola, with 50% of the batch of these vaccines.
The Minister of Social Action, Family and Promotion of Women, Ana Paula do Sacramento Neto, requested more commitment and coordination from social actors, to improve the protection of children against violence and guarantee their rights.
In the central event of International Children’s Day (1 June), Ana Paula do Sacramento Neto considered it essential to continue working to guarantee a safe and healthy environment for all children.
Regarding the event, the director of the National Children’s Institute (INAC), Paulo Kalesi, asked that the construction and equipping of schools, daycare centers and children’s centers be a priority within the framework of early childhood education.
The person in charge emphasized early childhood as a fundamental phase, taking into account that it contributes to the definition of a citizen’s personality.
For him, a person’s personality is shaped in the first five years of life and, therefore, there is a need to direct all actions towards shaping the child, with special attention.
He asked for greater monitoring of daycare centers and children’s centers in the country, despite the majority of them being private, as well as a training program for educators and child care guards.
Still during this period, Minister Maria do Rosário Bragança said that the Angolan Government intends to make higher education institutions executors of the program to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.
According to the official, the Executive counts, in this sense, on the support of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which is implementing a project to create a curriculum on entrepreneurship in higher education.
The minister of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation spoke to the press on the sidelines of a technology and innovation session of the first season of the Conexões Program, an initiative that aims to strengthen and promote the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Angola.
Maria do Rosário Bragança said that the project involves four higher education institutions and already has a document as a tool to support business incubators, in order to create their strategic plan.
The participation of an Angolan delegation, led by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Dionísio da Fonseca, in the first International Summit of Twin Cities in the Americas, taking place in San António, in the United States of America, also made headlines.
At the meeting, which took place from the 29th to the 31st of this month, participants addressed, among other topics, collaboration opportunities, best international practices on city twinning and business potential.
They also analyzed innovative and sustainable models of cooperation between cities, focusing on the economy, global challenges and cultural diplomacy, intending this meeting to be a platform for sharing and discussing the historical and cultural legacy of the African diaspora throughout the Americas, from Canada to Chile.
ANGOP
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
