The Angolan government and the public service labour union failed to reach a consensus on Wednesday to avert an industrial strike planned to start on March 20.
Teixeira Candido, the spokesperson of the public servants' labour union, said the government had refused to review its stance on demands made by the union.
The union had initially demanded the minimum wage be set at 250,000 kwanzas ($300), but has since revised that figure downwards to 100,000 kwanzas ($120).
The union further said it had softened its demand for a 250% pay rise in the public service, and now wanted the salaries increased by 100%.
Labour income tax
On its end, the Angolan government proposed that small companies pay a minimum wage of 48,000 kwanzas ($58), while the mid-sized companies pay a minimum wage of 70,000 ($84) kwanzas.
The large companies, according to the government, would pay their workers a minimum wage of 96,000 kwanzas ($115).
The union and the government also failed to reach an agreement on the labour income tax, with the union proposing that the deduction be capped at 10%.
"We did not reach any agreement (with the government). The strike declaration remains," Candido told journalists in Angola's capital Luanda.
'Can't give what we don't have'
The labour union, however, said it was ready to hold another rounds of talks "if the government has news."
Angola's Labour Minister Teresa Dias said the government will negotiate with the labour union to avert the March 20 strike.
"(However), we cannot give what we do not have," Dias said on Wednesday.
"It is not possible for a company with five workers to pay 100,000 kwanzas ($120) as minimum wage, because the company can't even make enough to pay out that amount of money every month," the minister told journalists in Luanda.
➤ Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.
