Presidential aspirant and leader of the Nzika Coalition, Milward Tobias, says skilled and highly motivated workforce can play a crucial role in the development of the country.
Tobias has therefore challenged the employers, including in government and the private sector, to create an environment in which workers are trained, recruited or appointed, deployed, promoted and cared for in their retirement.
The presidential hopeful has made the sentiments in a statement issued to join Malawians in celebrating the 2024 International Labour Day tomorrow, May 1.
Tobias described labour as an important factor input in production of goods and services; hence, the need for the government and the private sector to invest in the sector.
“Workers occupy an important place in any economy at every level be it household, firm or national. For Malawi, a land-rich and labour-abundant economy, the contribution of labour both now and in future remains extremely important. Nonetheless, labour goes beyond physical human beings. It is about its quality, the motivation at workplaces, the conditions of service and the predictability of career progression,” he said.
Tobias added that as Malawians celebrate the day, it is important that employers should take an honest reflection of the plight of workers whether professional, industrial or domestic workers and for both formal and informal economy workers.
He observed that the fruits of the eight-hour day movement are yet to be enjoyed in Malawi.
“We cannot afford eight-hours of recreation and eight-hours of rest because we are still struggling to make ends meet. Working conditions are deplorable. A situation that must be changed. The duty of those in positions of leadership must be to facilitate the realisation of decent work agenda, a living wage for low income earners and prospering informal economy workers,” he said.
“We must take a particular reflection on civil servants who work so hard and professionally only to be given a boss as Deputy Director, Director or Principal Secretary from the street and whose main qualification for the job is connection to politicians in power. Just the environment of having a superior who does not understand the civil service, the Malawi Public Service Regulations, is in itself traumatising. As we celebrate this day, nearly every ministry or department in the civil service has a strange face occupying a very senior position yet there are officers who dedicated their all to serve the nation and hoped someday they would rise in the career ladder. This impunity must come to an end,” added Tobias.
