Employees of the Maputo City Council today resumed the demonstration that began yesterday (Wed.19) demanding that their salaries be brought into line with those approved in the Single Salary Table (TSU).

Yesterday's work stoppage took the city council by surprise, and they later circulated information about penalties, including dismissal.

The number of claimants has dwindled, with some returning to work today. Among those still claiming, they told the television channel STV that they had received threats of dismissal.

"We are continuing and will continue [with the demonstrations]. And we're receiving threats from our management not to go on strike while we're not on strike. We need our pay. Superiors end up intimidating and putting their subordinates at fault in order to [coerce] them. The demand is to respond to our concerns," said the demonstrators.

"When we saw that some employees weren't on duty, we sent a message to their managers to do as the rules say. We have to take administrative action. Apparently this message was circulated and those who realized they were taking the wrong route returned to their jobs," said Silva Magaia, CMCM's councillor for Territorial Planning, Environment and Urbanization.

He explained that the city council had chosen to sanction the claimants in this way because it didn't assume it was a strike, given that the TSU issue has been under debate between the CMCM and the employees since the end of last year, when tensions escalated.

"We have established a dialog mechanism to monitor this issue. In this first semester, the president of the municipal council has already met twice with the employees", so "it would be strange to hear someone say 'I don't know the municipality's explanation for not paying the TSU'".