Mozambique’s Prime Minister, Benvinda Levi, said the government still has no solution for paying the 13th-month salary to civil servants and warned that continuously asking questions does not solve the problem. “When we have a solution for the 13th-month salary, we will inform the public. Therefore, at this moment, there is no 13th-month salary,” the Prime Minister said on Wednesday, 7 January, adding that the government had already stated “at an opportune time” that there were no resources to pay the aforementioned salary.
Benvinda Levi emphasised that, there being resources available for the payment of the 13th-month salary, this will be announced by the competent authorities, noting that “continuously asking questions is not the solution.” On 29 December, Mozambican health professionals threatened to carry out the sector’s “most dangerous” strike if full and timely payment of the 13th-month salary to public employees was not ensured within 15 days. “If the government does not pay the 13th-month salary in full to health professionals, all healthcare facilities in Mozambique will be closed,” said the president of the Association of United and Solidary Health Professionals of Mozambique (APSUSM) at a press conference in Maputo. Anselmo Muchave explained that the 13th-month salary is a legal right, enshrined in the country’s labour legislation, “neither negotiable nor a favour” granted by the government to civil servants.
“In this context, failure to pay the 13th-month salary will have serious and immediate consequences for health professionals and, consequently, for the operation of healthcare facilities nationwide. Hospitals, health centres and other service points will inevitably face operational chaos, putting the continuity and quality of care provided to the population at risk,” Muchave said.
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