Differences Part One: Work

It's May Day! Every worker in the country gets a raise! (More on that later.)

We get asked questions all the time about the differences between Mozambique and the United States, and sometimes when we try and answer those questions, we are met with some of the most quizzical expressions.  I hope that doesn't reflect our powers of description as much as it reflects how vast the differences are between the two nations, and how difficult that is to grasp, if you haven't seen it and experienced it for yourself.

As a theme for May, I'll try and describe with words and pictures, some of the differences in the following areas (as I currently understand them, reserving the right to update that knowledge and I gather more facts as we continue to learn about the area where we are at.) 



Work
Church
School
Transport
Medicine
Banks /ATMs
Grocery stores / Markets
Prisons
Cooking
Water
Animals
Trash Cleanup
Toilets
Showers
Clothing

I'll start with this difference.  Work. Today is May Day. May 1st.  A big deal globally for the International Workers of the World set.

One could set down a very lengthy treatise on differences in Labor Law between Mozambique and the United States,  but here is one difference.  The Labor Consultative Commission (the National government, the trade unions and the employers' associations) has decided, to give raises to all of the workers in every industry across Mozambique for the last several years.

Minimum and maximum wages are set in twelve different categories of industry. (Ranging from about 80 to 220 dollars per month.)

Even given the mandatory minimum wage, unemployment in Mozambique is around 40%. Of those working, about 70 % earn the minimum wage in their sector of labor, and the average minimum wage only pays about 50% of the poverty line in Mozambique.

A very different scenario from that in the United States.