ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Hospital cleaners in Malawi undid their own work in January by dumping rubbish in patient rooms after not being paid by their bosses for six months.

Cleaning staff members at Malawi's Zomba Central Hospital also dirtied the floors of patient rooms in protest at their non-payment.

The hospital's authorities have blamed a new wages system for the delay in paying out salaries. But despite the fact the cleaners' contracts ended on January 31, each claims to be owed MK300,000 - the equivalent of around €322.

The protests were staged by the cleaners in a bid to force their bosses' hand, but they ended when police intervened to act as mediators. Hospital managers now say they are working tirelessly to resolve the issue.

"We are engaging the Ministry of Finance in Lilongwe to finalise their payments," said administrator Fredson Kambeni.

Protests are not uncommon among hospital staff in Malawi. In April 2020, health workers at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Malawi's commercial capital, Blantyre, staged a sit-in to protest against their working conditions during the pandemic.

Staff members demanded a risk allowance of 70 per cent of their basic salary along with adequate personal protective equipment, of which they claimed there was a critical shortage.