Quissico on the verge of collapse: employees without pay for four months go on strike

The town of Quissico, in the Zavala district of Inhambane province, is facing a serious labor crisis that has already resulted in a complete shutdown of activities at the Municipal Council. The 99 workers decided to strike after accumulating four consecutive months without pay, including their thirteenth-month salary.

The situation has been ongoing since December 2025, when employees stopped receiving their salaries. The scenario is described as critical, marked by increasing difficulties in ensuring family subsistence and meeting basic obligations.

According to the workers, the origin of the problem is not directly in the management of the municipality, but rather in the lack of disbursement of funds by the Government, namely from the Municipal Compensation Fund (FCA), used to pay salaries in municipalities.

The last disbursements were made in August 2025. From then on, the municipality resorted to its own revenues to cover salaries until November, but since then it has lacked the financial capacity to honor its commitments to employees.

The crisis is having a profound impact on the lives of workers, many of whom now depend on support from family and friends to survive. The accumulation of debt, including bank charges with late payment interest, further aggravates the social situation.

Despite the strike, employees continue to go to their workplaces, but are not performing any work. Municipal services have been completely interrupted since the beginning of the week, with facilities closed during normal operating hours.

Employees with many years of service at the local authority say they have never experienced a similar situation, considering this the most serious crisis ever recorded in the municipality.

The president of the Quissico Municipal Council, Abílio Paulo, acknowledged the seriousness of the problem and admitted that the strike is already affecting the functioning of the municipality, including revenue collection.

The official also indicated that the case has already been reported to the relevant authorities, and there is an expectation that the situation can be resolved in the coming days with the possible disbursement of funds.

However, the lack of financial resources continues to be cited as the main cause of wage non-payment, while pressure from workers is growing for urgent intervention to restore normality and prevent the social crisis in Quissico from worsening.