In an effort to improve workplace standards and promote decent work, the Ministry of Labour has called on journalists to leverage their position and raise awareness on decent work and labour laws of Malawi.
The Ministry of Labour, in collaboration with the European Union (EU) funded Zantchito Skills for Jobs Programme has launched Malawi’s first National Occupational Safety and Health Policy.
The Ministry of Labour, supported by the EU-funded Zantchito Skills for Jobs Programme, is developing regulations on occupational safety and health in Agriculture, aligned with international labour standards and best practices.
According to inspection reports, notable decent work deficits in the country include among others, non-reporting of occupational injuries, non-compliance on pension contributions, exposure to occupational safety and health risks without any form of protection, general lack of awareness on labour laws and decent work provision, non-availability of safety and health committees, underpayment of wages, non-payment of overtime and underpayment of overtime, noncompliance to provision of annual, maternity, and sick leave and underpayments of terminal benefits.
The Ministry of Labour, in collaboration with the Zantchito Skills for Jobs Programme, is convening stakeholder meetings to inform the development of Safety and Health in Agriculture regulations. These meetings will take place in the following locations:
– Lilongwe: March 24-25, 2025
– Mzuzu: March 27-28, 2025
– Blantyre: April 15-16, 2025
Stakeholders are invited to contribute to the regulation’s development. A draft of the regulations is available on the Zantchito website (https://zantchitomalawi.org/draft-safety-and-health-in-agriculture-regulation/) and the Ministry of Labour websites. Written submissions and feedback may be sent to Mr. Goodluck Kayange, Acting Director of OSH, at goodkayange@gmail.com, with a copy to Mr. Johanes Mandowa, Zantchito project OSH Expert, at Johanes.Mandowa@gopa.de
The EU Funded Zantchito Skills for Jobs Programme and the Ministry of Labour have embarked on a process to develop safety and health regulations in the agriculture sector.
Workers in the Small, and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector in the northern region are still at risk of occupational related risks due to exposure to Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) hazards. This has been revealed during an SMEs targeted OSH inspection exercise conducted by the EU funded Zantchito Skills for Jobs Programme in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour.
The Ministry of Labour has hailed the European Union funded Zantchito Skills for Jobs Programme for providing Occupational Hygiene Monitoring equipment and building the capacity of OSH inspectors in usage of the equipment in order to improve their effectiveness in the identification, management and monitoring of hazards in the workplace environment.
The European Union (EU) in Malawi asserts its commitment to promoting Occupational Safety and Health aimed at fostering the achievement of decent work conditions in Malawi.
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