Tenancy labour abolition policy faces resistance

Ministry of Labour says farmers are resisting the adoption of standard employment system for tobacco estate tenants to be on a monthly wage in favour of the abolished tenancy labour system.

The ministry says farmers, mostly in the tobacco sector, argue that they cannot afford to pay tenants a monthly wage.

The tenancy labour system involves the provision and/or use of labour that sees the person offering the service as a tenant being paid after the sale of the crop at the end of the growing season.

Speaking during the opening of a two-day workshop aimed at strengthening knowledge and capacity of employers and employees on labour laws and issues, Ministry of Labour Commissioner Hlalerwayo Kelvin Nyangulu said the tenancy labour system was abolished in 2021, but tobacco employers are resisting it to avoid paying workers on a monthly basis.

He said: “Tobacco is produced by smallholder farmers and large estate owners. One of the things we are pushing for is that employees should be paid monthly wages.

Nyangulu pointed out that the government is geared to implement and enforce both international and local labour standards as a way of addressing decent work deficit in the tobacco sector to deal with labour issues, including child labour and other exploitative norms.

Employers’ Consultative Association of Malawi (Ecam) executive director George Khaki said Ecam, with support from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), conducted an assessment which revealed that about 62 percent of the assessed companies were not conversant with international labour standards.

He said the training will create a platform for the participants to be informed about international labour standards.

Khakhi said Ecam is committed to sensitising farmers about the law to enhance compliance and benefits that the workers and employees will get from the abolishment of a tenancy system.

The Royal Norwegian Embassy funded the two-day workshop which has attracted participants from the Malawi Congress of Trade Union (MCTU), ILO and Ecam.