The Employers’ Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM) has expressed commitment to promoting companies and organisations’ compliance with the local and the international labour laws.
This is according to ECAM’s president Anne Chavula who was speaking during the 2022 employer of the year awards (EYA) gala which was held in Blantyre at the Amaryllis Hotel on Friday night, 9th December, 2022.
While addressing the gathering, Chavula said almost all the 17 companies that participated in this year’s competition, are following the labour standards which she said is giving hope for the realisation of the decent work vision.
She then indicated that the association will always work tirelessly towards the attainment of decent work agenda and has since called for cooperation in the coming year.
“When companies comply with local as well as international standards, it means that the employee is safe in the workplace and they are assured of descent work because for us to attain descent work we need to follow the let down laws.
“From our assessment, we have noted that companies are doing great in terms of compliance, though some of them are not doing that good in other aspects, and after this we will give them feedback so that they address their shortfalls. As ECAM, we are so committed to making sure that the employers are complying with the labour laws,” said Chavula.
At the same event, ECAM also launched the Employers Guide on Child Labour and Employers Code of Conduct on the Elimination of Child Labour, a document that has been developed with support from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) ACCEL Africa Project.
Speaking on behalf of the Malawi government, Labour Commissioner Hlalerwayo Kelvin Nyangulu who was the guest of honour said government is always available and open for discussions that will help Malawi realize the national agenda and vision regarding decent work.
Nyangulu said the newly launched Employers Guide on Child Labour and Employers Code of Conduct on the Elimination of Child Labour, will help in the realisation of the national agenda on the elimination of child labour by 2025 and he has since urged companies in the country to adopt the document.
“It is by the utilization and implementation of these documents that Employers in Malawi will actively complement the government’s effort to eliminate child labour by 2025. As Malawi Government, we call upon all Employers to make a commitment to support and foster meaningful partnerships through ECAM.
“I also encourage companies to adopt the documents for easy implementation in their work places and this will help in ensuring that all pillars of Decent Work Agenda are realized and adhered to,” said Nyangulu.
In the other hand, George Okutho who is the ILO Country Director for Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, said decent work sums up the aspirations of people in their working lives.
He, however, reported that one of the challenges facing the labour market in Malawi is youth unemployment that has limited realisation of the economy’s full potential as the vast pool of the labour force remains untapped.
Among others, the employer of the year award has gone to Illovo Sugar Malawi plc while the labour laws compliance award has gone to I SON BPO Xperiences as the first winner seconded by CDH Investment Bank with Illovo Sugar Malawi plc as the 3rd winner.
The youth employment and skills development award has gone to Illovo Sugar Malawi plc as the first winner and NICO Holdings Plc and Standard Bank Malawi plc as the second and third winners respectively while TAMA Farmers Trust, the Tobacco Commission and Illovo Sugar have won the elimination of child labour award.
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