Ministry commends tea industry reforms

Minister of Labour, Skills and Innovation Joel Chigona has commended the Tea Association of Malawi (Taml) for making notable progress in addressing labour-related concerns in the industry. The minister said this on Friday on the sidelines of a visit to tea estates in Thyolo and Mulanje to assess workplace safety, compliance with labour laws and the general welfare of workers in the industry. In an interview at Sayama Tea Factory, Chigona said he was encouraged by the steps taken by the association to respond to concerns previously raised by government, particularly on workers’ safety.

“I am satisfied with the progress made so far. Failure to provide personal protective equipment has been one of the main concerns in the tea estates and it is encouraging to see that action has been taken,” said Chigona. Taml vice-chairperson Atu Kalinga said the association is pleased with the positive feedback from the ministry.

He said concerns raised during previous inspection tours helped the industry to identify gaps and make necessary improvements in labour practices. Kalinga said the association made deliberate efforts to comply with conditions that were earlier communicated by the ministry and reaffirmed the association’s commitment to upholding labour laws and standards. Tea is one of Malawi’s foreign exchange earners, contributing about eight percent to foreign exchange earnings and 11 percent to the total national employment. The tea industry employs more than 60 000 temporary and permanent workers.