The Mozambican non-governmental organization (NGO) Centro para a Democracia e Desenvolvimento (Center for Democracy and Development) yesterday criticized the "unprecedented gap" between salaries in public and private administration, warning of "frustration" among workers who are not in the state.

"As has happened in other years, the union and its workers will most likely once again come out of the negotiations frustrated," says an analysis by the Center for Democracy and Development (CDD).

The NGO produced the analysis in connection with the first meeting, on the 9th, between employers, unions and the government to set new minimum wages in the private sector.

Emphasizing that the minimum wage in the public administration has increased by more than 80%, due to the implementation of the Single Wage Table (TSU), the CDD notes that the president of the CTA-Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique, Agostinho Vuma, has already pointed out that private sector companies will not be able to "keep up" with the level of increase that has taken place in the state.

"We want to move forward with wage balance and the improvement of the living conditions of the working class, with a lot of harmony," said Vuma, also asking for "due time for reflection on the capacities for wage revision".

The CTA, the employer leader continued, is not in a position to use the "parallelism" of the TSU.

The CDD notes that by going from 4,688 meticais to 8,758 meticais, the lowest salary in the state has risen by 80%, enough to recover and increase the purchasing power of civil servants.

"The increase in the minimum wage in the civil service has created a truly unprecedented gap between what is considered the minimum for survival in the public sector and the private sector," the document points out.

For several years, the NGO continues, the minimum wage in public administration has remained one of the lowest in the scales approved annually by the government, surpassing only agriculture, livestock, hunting and forestry.

"With the implementation of the TSU, minimum wages in the civil service have benefited from an unprecedented increase," the analysis emphasizes.

The CDD also states that the position taken by the president of the CTA is not in line with "the most optimistic expectations" of private sector workers and is contrary to the sentiments of the unions.

As part of the start of negotiations on the minimum wage, the Organization of Workers of Mozambique (OTM-Central Sindical) defended the "good premises" of the TSU as a starting point for negotiating wages sufficient to buy a basic family basket capable of allowing survival for a month without hardship, emphasizes the CDD, quoted by Lusa.