The Fair Wage Campaign, officially launched today in Luanda, will conduct inspection activities from November 24 to December 18, aiming to ensure the effective implementation of Angola’s national minimum wage, which was raised from 70,000 kwanzas (66 euros) to 100,000 kwanzas (94 euros) on September 16.
The Secretary of State for Labor and Social Security, Pedro Filipe, stated at the opening ceremony that the campaign intends to ensure the presidential decree approving the country’s minimum wage “is not disregarded.”
“We must ensure that this broad consensus (between the government and unions leading to the minimum wage increase) is effectively implemented, with the Labor Inspection General (IGT) having increased responsibilities in this matter,” he said.
A “thorough and realistic” diagnosis conducted by the IGT, based on over six thousand inspection activities over the past ten months covering more than 4,000 companies and over 155,000 workers, found various irregularities, including over 1,500 violations related to non-compliance with the national minimum wage, he stated.
“For this reason, we decided to launch this campaign, which has an educational aspect, though it also has a disciplinary nature, to encourage companies, workers, and society to engage in this process of respecting the minimum wage,” he argued.
At least 200 inspectors from the IGT, under the Ministry of Public Administration, Labor, and Social Security, will participate in this campaign, authorities said, urging employers that paying a fair wage “is more than a duty.”
“It is a matter of social justice, dignity, and respect for others,” he noted.
Pedro Filipe also called on all employers not yet aligned with this process to comply with the law, assuring that “non-compliance with the decree will be met with severity.”
Workers were also urged to participate in this campaign “through complaints and dialogue with their employers but, above all, to be convinced that while they have the right to receive a fair wage, they also have the duty to contribute to the company’s productivity,” concluded the Angolan Secretary of State.
The Deputy Inspector General of the IGT, Leandro Cardoso, disclosed that the violations recorded over the past ten months mostly occurred in the commerce, industry, service provision, and manufacturing sectors.
“Our campaign is focused solely on wages, and perhaps this will pave the way for addressing other societal issues (…) the regular activities of the IGT will not stop due to the campaign,” he responded to Lusa.
When questioned about the alleged inertia of the IGT in monitoring and resolving labor conflicts, Leandro Cardoso denied it, acknowledging, however, that the nearly 500 inspectors spread across the country’s 21 provinces are insufficient given the number of companies in Angola.
“We have a little under 500 inspectors, we do everything we can, but if human resources availability does not match the number of companies, it becomes very challenging to respond, and the number of inspectors is limited, not due to inertia,” he justified.
The law sets the national minimum wage at 100,000 kwanzas in Angola and 50,000 kwanzas for micro-companies and startups. Companies unable to pay the minimum wage must request authorization from the ministry to pay below the legal threshold.
