By Faith Kadzanja:
Civil Society Education Coalition Network (Csec) has called on National Library Service (NLS) management and the government to resolve issues that have prompted workers to down their tools.
NLS libraries have been closed for three weeks countrywide, thereby affecting users who are unable to access facilities.
Csec Executive Director, Benedicto Kondowe, said the government must address the matter quickly.
“This is a very unfortunate situation in a sense that we have few schools in this country and most of them are also expensive for the ordinary Malawian.
“In order to realise their right to education, some people use the distance or, indeed, online learning mode.
So, they need the library to borrow books for programmes they are pursuing,” he said.
National Library Communication Workers Union of Malawi Chairperson, Stella
Buwani, said they would only return to work once they receive a 10 percent salary increment.
“Every day, the National Librarian comes and removes our placards.
We do not know why he is doing this. We just want to be given the 10 percent salary increase,” she said.
As we went to press, National Librarian, Grey Nyale, was not available for his comment on the strike.
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