Tenancy labour stirs fresh debate

Proposals to regulate or abolish use of tenancy labour in tobacco production yesterday drew mixed reactions from some stakeholders who argued that abolishing the system could bring fresh challenges.

Tenancy labour system involves the provision and/or use of labour that sees the person offering the service (tenant) being paid after the sale of the crop at the end of the growing season.

Dating back to 2011, the Tenancy Labour Bill in Malawi seeks to end the system widely regarded as highly exploitative. It stipulates contracts between tenants and their landlords to ensure fairness.

During a consultative workshop on the Bill in Lilongwe yesterday, delegates expressed wide-ranging views whereas tenants and landlords showed they still favoured the system.

Speaking on behalf of the tenants, Levi Phiri from Rumphi district called the workshop timely, but said tenancy labour should not be abolished as the tenants are better off at the farm than outside employment.

He said: “All we need is some legal frameworks to help protect us from exploitative masters. Otherwise, abolishing it now may create a lot of challenges than what is currently happening.

“But should government and other stakeholders insist on abolishing it, and then it has to empower the farmers to pay us monthly wages which we feel won’t be that easy.”

Employers Consultative Association of Malawi (Ecam) shared the tenants’ sentiments, arguing that the country should be prepared to dig deeper to effectively implement the change.

Ecam programmes officer Emmanuel Magomero said abolishing the tenancy system would raise sensitive issues of land ownership, relocation and the need to give the tenants start-up packages.

He said: “Much as we may agree on the need to oust the practice in the country, since we are the only country still using it in our farming, we still feel there is a need to reflect on the effects of such a decision with sober minds.

“There will be the issue of land, relocation and even some start-up packs for the tenants since married tenants are usually accompanied by their entire families, including young children.

“Tables might have changed over the years and I am not sure they can be welcomed back let alone be recognised by their families should they just return. Government, therefore, should consider relocating us and provide us with some start-up loans for sustainability’ sake.”

Government has been proposing abolition of tenancy labour and Ministry of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development has since opted for a direct wage employment

Speaking at the same meeting, Minister of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development Henry Mussa argued that having the Tenancy Labour Bill in place would not, on its own, guarantee an improvement in the welfare of the tenant.

He said: “What we are saying is that this system is not only evil, but also detrimental to the country’s development drive whose beacon lies in agriculture. We cannot expect to effectively grow our economy when a large proportion of our farmers remain trapped under the poverty line.”

Under the tenancy system, estate owners, normally called landlords, recruit farmers from distant districts to grow tobacco for them on their estates. The tenants are offered accommodation and food rations on monthly basis as well as a cut of the earnings from sales proceeds. n