Angolan railway workers strike over better pay, conditions

A strike action declared by Angolan railway since Monday continues to bite.

The railway staff have been on a general strike for several days to demand better working conditions.

Among other things, rail workers are demanding an 80 percent wage increase, subsidies for food, transport and maintenance.

A meeting held last Friday between the union and management of the Luanda Railway Company failed.

‘‘We want a written document from the board of directors that states what percentage of increase we will get at the end of March. If we do not see this signed document, we will not suspend the strike’‘, said Miguel Agostino Antonio, railway staff.

For now, negotiations are still continuing but railway workers have not ruled out resuming work.

‘‘According to the standards of our society and the reality we live in today, the salary is not enough and often here our salaries only increase through strikes, all the managers who succeed in doing so say every time the company has no money ‘’, said another staff member, Afonso Fernando Calunga.

Augusto Osório is Director of Communications for the Luanda Railway company.

“As I told you, negotiations must have a time limit that requires the suspension of the strike… It is a provision put in place by the Board of Directors. The Trade Union Committee to continue to negotiate to reach a consensus that we have not yet found’‘, he told a news conference.

Meanwhile, the Luanda/Cuanza Norte/Malanje inter-provincial freight trains, which depart twice a day, are completely grounded.