* Workers brought to light various challenges at the workplace, such as long working hours exceeding 10 hours per day
* Low wages of K3,460 per 60kg harvested in a day and K89,000 wages per month instead of the minimum K90,00
* Lack of pension and holiday benefits and workers making their own sacks for harvesting tea
Maravi Express
Minister of Labour, Vitumbiko Mumba today discovered several serious non-compliance to labour laws when he inspected Makandi Tea & Coffee Estate in Thyolo, which he has since ordered to close until the issues are addressed within 7 days.
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A report on official Government Facebook page, says the Minister engaged with the employees, who raised concerns on poor safety and health conditions and remuneration packages, which he also found when he inspected Kawalazi Tea Estate on Monday, where he faced similar challenges.
Mumba stated the ministry received complaints on poor working conditions at Makandi Tea & Coffee Estate that included falsified weighing scales used to weigh tea the workers picked.
He thus requested to inspect the weighing scales used at the estate to determine if they were compliant with Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) regulations.
The Minister is reported to have criticised lack of consultation with workers on operational matters at the union level, describing it as unacceptable and during a meeting with the estate management, Mumba demanded that representatives of the workers be included in such discussions for inclusivity.
He emphasised that the estates administration should adhere to Malawi’s labour laws and not just international laws, which he said were often driven by economic motives.
During an interaction with the Minister, the workers brought to light various challenges at the workplace, citing long working hours exceeding 10 hours per day; low wages of K3,460 per 60kg harvested in a day and also complained K89,000 wages per month received — instead of the minimum K90,000 and hat they don’t receive overtime pay.
Other complaints included lack of pension and holiday benefits, workers making their own sacks for harvesting tea as opposed to proper and standard sacks and the use of non-compliant weighing scales.
They also complained that they are given 11 months’ contracts to run away from reaching 12 months when they could be considered as permanent employees and that they lack toilets within a 50km distance.
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The Minister condemned workers labour conditions, describing some as showing “human indecency” and urged the estate management to prioritise decent humane treatment for its workers in line with labour laws.
He said improving working conditions in estates had potential to tea boost production and market, considering that tea is one of Malawi’s highest exports.
Mumba, therefore, issued a prohibition order on site number 17A of the estate, which has been temporality closed and will be re-opened after seven days to assess whether the conditions improved.
The Minister disclosed that a meeting will be held tomorrow, January 29, in Lilongwe where the Ministry of Labour, Tea Association of Malawi and managers of tea estates will discuss a wide range of labour issues.
He emphasised the need for estates managers to take responsibility of monitoring and improving working conditions of their workers, rather than waiting for government inspection to prompt changes.
Makandi Tea Estate finance manager, Sangwani Hara acknowledged the challenges that included declining tea prices on the global market, saying the estate was struggling financially due to market trends.
He, however, stated that the estate complies with minimum wage on K90,000 contrary to the workers claims.
On personal protective equipment (PPEs), Hara mentioned that use of gumboots was not standard for the workers as they were only required in irrigation sites, saying: “Shoes are not a necessity for them in the tea estates.”
The management, however, promised to look into challenges presented by workers to improve working conditions where appropriate.
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