Africa-Press – Malawi. Lawyers under the Ministry of Justice have resumed work following a sit-in that started last week.
They have, however, given the government a 14-working-day ultimatum to address their concerns or face renewed industrial action.
Some of the lawyers told The Daily Times, on condition of anonymity, that they have been disappointed that the government was yet to meet demands they raised in a petition they submitted on February 14, 2025.
“Please be informed that the lawyers have returned to work; giving the authorities 14 working days within which to provide us [with] concrete and cogent feedback and resolution to our petition. If not, the lawyers will proceed to another industrial action,” two of the lawyers said.
During their sit-in, the lawyers had demanded the revision of several allowances, including the non-practicing allowance from K500,000 to K1,000,000; security allowance from K100,000 to K300,000 and telephone allowance from K50,000 to K100,000.
They also requested the introduction of a housing allowance and a duty waiver on vehicle imports.
In an internal memorandum dated June 12, 2025—addressed to the lawyers and signed by Rose Makhumula on behalf of the Solicitor General and Secretary for Justice—the ministry acknowledged the lack of official feedback and clarified that the matter was being handled in collaboration with other State agencies.
The memo confirmed that both the Solicitor General and Minister of Justice Titus Mvalo had written to the Secretary for Human Resource Management and Development (DHRMD) and the Minister of Finance on the issue.
In turn, DHRMD wrote to the Treasury, seeking approval to implement the three proposed revisions to allowances.
However, the ministry indicated that the issue of housing allowance was not included because of a 2004 Mid-Term Pay Policy that consolidated housing benefits into salaries.
The ministry also flagged the request for a duty waiver on imported vehicles as “very problematic”.
“The ministry is committed on matters of your welfare and will, henceforth, keep you informed on any developments related to these matters,” the memo stated, urging the lawyers to resume duties as previously agreed.
With the 14-day clock now ticking, pressure is mounting on the Treasury to provide a definitive response.
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