Luanda - The Secretary of State for Labor and Social Security, Pedro Filipe, on Tuesday reiterated the government's willingness to return to the negotiating table with the trade unions.
Speaking to Angola public television about the new General Labor Law, which came into force on March 26, the official said the government has maintained a posture of dialogue and sensitivity in relation to the issues that are put on the table and that 80 percent of the points corresponding to the list of demands have been met.
What separates the two sides is little, he continued, so we must all be part of the solution to the problem.
Trade unions demand a 100,000 kwanza National Minimum Wage, as opposed to the previous 245,000, and a 100 percent pay rise in the Civil Service, instead of the initial 250 percent.
They also call for a reduction in the Labor Income Tax (IRT) to 15 percent, compared to 10 percent previously; participation in the management of the National Social Security Institute (INSS) and a change in the percentages relating to isolation subsidy , house rent and installation subsidies, as well as their expansion to all municipalities in the national territory.
The unions also want changes to some of the allowances that the INSS processes, specifically death grants, family allowances and breastfeeding allowances.
With regard to the new General Labor Law, Pedro Felipe said that it is more balanced and will contribute to greater organization of the labor market, balance in legal-labor relations and, consequently, greater harmony at the level of companies and society in general.
"If we think that the new General Labor Law is going to solve all the problems, we'll be sending out a distorted message about what our reality is," he said.
It aims, he continued, to guarantee a better balance in the labor relationship, promoting an environment of justice.
The new General Labor Law (LGT - Law no. 12/23 of 27 December) came into force on March 26, with several changes that ensure greater job stability and balance in the relationship between employer and employee.
The law essentially aims to reintroduce a number of rules that were repealed with Law no. 2/2000 of February 11, in order to create a greater balance in the defense of the interests of workers and employers and to strengthen harmony in labor relations.
The General Labor Law reintroduces the employment contract for an indefinite period as the rule and unequivocally assumes the employment contract as the only way of establishing legal-labor relations,
It also extends disciplinary measures, the mobility of workers within the same group of companies and teleworking.
The law redefines special employment contracts, with a focus on teleworking and sports employment contracts, introducing greater flexibility in the organization and duration of work, with an emphasis on the student worker's working hours regime. LIN/ART/AMP
