Luanda: The Negotiating Committee, which includes the boards of directors of public media outlets, clarified on Wednesday that the proposed salary adjustment for journalists, resulting from negotiations with the union, requires government approval. Speaking to the press, the chairman of the Board of Directors of Angola National Radio, Pedro Neto, spokesperson of the negotiating commission, denied reports that journalists working for public media outlets would receive a 58% salary increase starting in August.
According to Angola Press News Agency, Pedro Neto explained that within the Negotiating Commission, which includes all public media outlets, they concluded after budgetary analysis that the combination of career progression and salary adjustment would represent an impact of about 58%. However, he stressed that this is only a proposal that has been submitted to the government for evaluation and final decision.
Pedro Neto emphasized that the decision is not yet made, as the Commission has only fulfilled its role of presenting the government with a document containing the proposal resulting from the negotiations. The final decision rests solely with the executive. He also highlighted that the media does not have the legal authority to set salary increases, a responsibility that falls to the government through the ministries of Public Administration, Labor and Social Security, Finance, and ultimately, Telecommunications, Information Technology and Media.
Neto reiterated that the Negotiating Committee cannot announce increases, much less with defined deadlines, such as the month of August, and that they are all waiting for the government’s decision. When asked whether the proposal had already been submitted to the competent authorities, Pedro Neto confirmed that after the last round of negotiations, the public bodies had drawn up a memorandum that had been sent to the government.
The memorandum includes the estimate of 58%, resulting from the combination of career progression and salary adjustment. Now, the committee is waiting for an official response to provide guarantees to the union.