At least 80 former employees of the Malawi Enterprise Development Fund (Medf) are demanding K20 billion in compensation after the Industrial Relations Court (IRC) ruled their dismissals were unlawful. “We are demanding K20 billion for the 80 applicants,” Munkhondia said in an interview on Friday. The court found that Medf failed to consult the employees prior to termination on grounds of operational requirements. Medf lawyer Alfred Lungu said the institution intends to appeal the liability finding and described the K20 billion claims as “excessive”. Where public officials make such decisions, there must be accountability so taxpayers do not continue bearing the cost,” he said.