Ministry warns labour export recruiters

Ministry of Labour has expressed concern with the proliferation of individuals and recruitment agencies engaged in exporting labour to various countries without following the laid-down procedures.

In a statement released yesterday, Secretary for Labour Wezi Kayira warned those involved in the malpractice that their actions amount to a criminal offence under the Trafficking in Persons Act of 2015.

He said the perpetrators mostly charge a fee to job seekers and bypass the ministry and other relevant government institutions involved in regulating labour export, thereby exposing job seekers to human traffickers, labour exploitation and abuse.

Kayira said: “In 2016, the ministry issued labour export guidelines to guide recruiters on fair and ethical recruitment. The guidelines, among others, require recruiters to obtain prior clearance from the ministry before exporting labour. 

“This act by the ministry is part of due diligence to check for cases of human trafficking for labour exploitation which is the ministry’s mandate following the designation of labour officers as enforcement officers of the Trafficking in Persons Act.”

The Labour Export Guidelines and International Labour Convention Number 181 on Private Employment Agencies further prohibits the charging of any fee to a job seeker.

This comes barely a month after the ministry stopped the National Organisations of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi (Nonm) from recruiting unemployed nurses in countries such as USA and Saudi Arabia, saying the organisation does not have the mandate to conduct labour migration.

However, the Concerned Unemployed Nurses and Midwives petitioned the government to allow Nonm to continue processing the exporting of unemployed nurses and midwives as the government was failing to employ them.

Kayira said labour exports, like any service, if well regulated, have many benefits both to the individuals involved and the country as well.

He said: “Apart from the salaries the workers get, they tend to remit part of their money to their home country which also contributes towards the country’s economic growth.

“Be that as it may, job seekers are still advised to exercise utmost caution by always checking the credibility and standing of their prospective recruiters with the Ministry of Labour.”

In 2016, Malawi spent over K13 million to repatriate 28 young women who were stranded in Kuwait following botched up employment contracts.

The young women were hosted at the Malawi Embassy in Kuwait after reports indicated they were destitute since their employers seized their passports.

The Joyce Banda administration rolled out the initiative to export the youth to countries such as Kuwait, South Korea and Dubai in a move believed would reduce poverty among the youth.