Civil servants will be broke during Easter as the Department of Human Resource Management and Development delayed to process their pay for March.

The department has attributed the delay to the integration of newly recruited healthcare workers on the government payroll for March 2024.

Capital Hill in Lilongwe where civil servants salaries are processed

In an interview yesterday, the department’s spokesperson Ken Mtonga said efforts were underway to complete the processing of salaries as soon as possible.

He said: “You should be aware that the government has recruited a lot of people in the health sector with support from The Global Fund. After that, they come to us to finalise everything including capturing them on the payroll.

“The team at human resource department which handles this has been working hard, knocking off even at 11pm and by the end of Wednesday, we expected that salaries for 26 districts out of 28 will have been thoroughly processed.”

Mtonga said the remaining districts were scheduled to be processed by yesterday and then the information will be handed over to the Accountant General.

However, he could not state when the salaries will be paid.

Said Mtonga: “I know we are going into a long weekend [due to Easter holiday], but I can’t tell when salaries will be ready.

“The ball now will be in the court of our colleagues at the Accountant General. We could talk about after the Easter holiday, on Tuesday or Wednesday [next week] or thereabout.”

Meanwhile, various councils have since been informing workers on the salary delays.

Reads a letter at Chiradzulu District Council dated March 25: “Please be informed that there is a delay in March salaries due to the recruitment of Global Health workers who are yet to be introduced on March payroll.

“[Government] is working tirelessly to ensure that March salaries are paid in due course. Note that this has affected all districts across the country.”

But reacting to the development, Physicians Assistants Union of Malawi president Solomon Chomba said the newly recruited healthcare workers should not be used as a scapegoat on the matter.

He said: “Government delayed releasing the results for those recruited. Instead of releasing names on February 16 2024, they ended up releasing names on March 1 2024 and told people to report for work on March 5 2024. So, who is to blame?”

Chomba also laughed off the argument that data has to be transferred manually from districts to Lilongwe, saying it was retrogressive, especially in the digital age.

Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU) secretary general Madalitso Njololomole in a separate interview said such delays have several implications, and the government’s reasons are not convincing.

“Delays in salaries disturb the cash flow for households and take note that schools are closing and children are returning home, so parents need transport for that,” he said.

With support from The Global Fund, the Ministry of Health has recruited 5 800 health care workers to be posted in various health facilities across the country.

Walk-in interviews for the staff were conducted in January this year.

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