Ministry to consult on tea casual labour agreements
Minister of Labour Vitumbiko Mumba says his ministry will consult the office of the Attorney General (AG) over casual labour violations which emerged during his visit to Kawalazi Tea Estate in Nkhata Bay.
During the minister’s visit to the estate on Monday, it was revealed that workers are paid a minimum wage of K81 000 for 24 working days per month against the lawful K90 000 per month for urban and rural areas.

Further, tea pickers told the minister that they are made to sign 11 month contracts, a practice which some labourers said has been repeated for over 10 years they have been at the estate.
Kawalazi Tea Estate employs about 4 500 workers during the peak tea season.
The estate’s deputy general manager Patinjare Kollakkal Manoj said their way of working on contracts and minimum wage is backed by an agreement made with the Tea Association of Malawi.
He said the minimum wage is on the lower side because the workers ask for some days off during the weekend.
Said Manoj: “We are not paying below the minimum wage and we shall respond to these issues and to the ministry through the appropriate channels.”
But Mumba insisted that the country’s laws should reign supreme over association agreements, saying the law provides that labourers who have worked for 12 months should be offered permanent employment.
He ordered Principal Secretary of Labour Chikondano Mussa and labour commissioner Hlalerwayo Nyangulu to take up the matter with the AG’s office.
The ministry last year set K52 000, up from K38 000 per month, as the minimum wage for domestic workers, while for those in formal employment such as shop workers it went up to K90 000 from K50 000.