The Prime Minister of Mozambique, Adriano Maleane, admitted that about 3,000 state workers are still in arrears with salaries, but assured that the problem is technical and not a lack of money.
“The Government is working to ensure there are no delays, because it is not a method of working. This has to be made clear. And there can only be delays for technical reasons. In this case, the Government guarantees that the problem is not a lack of money”, explained Mr Maleane at a press conference held in the city of Quelimane, at the end of his visit to Zambezia province.
A problem with the computer system and the framework of state employees in Mozambique, as part of the implementation of the Single Salary Table (TSU), is causing delays in the payment of salaries to the Civil Service, the government previously admitted.
At stake are delays in payments, especially for teachers, who have not yet received their salaries for June.
“The problem is not lack of money, the only explanation is precisely this implementation of the payroll management mechanism in the sector that is causing some delays. Until last week we had 3,000 who were still in a situation of delay”, he said.
It was reported on 19 July that spending on Mozambican civil service salaries is expected to grow by 9.1% in 2023, to 181.8 billion meticais (2.539 billion euros), according to official data, in a year marked by the application of the TSU. The same report points out that in 2022, also after revision by the IMF, among 298.4 billion meticais (4.168 billion euros) of current State costs, 166.6 billion meticais (2.327 billion euros) went to the payment of civil service salaries and social security.
For 2024, and despite the ongoing changes, the report estimates, also after a downward revision, a growth in current spending by the Mozambican State to 363.9 billion meticais (5.083 billion euros), of which 203.7 billion meticais (2.845 billion euros) for salaries and social security.