Tata workers in Malawi to down tools over low salaries
Workers at the Malawi Branch of Tata Zambia Limited have vowed to go on a strike if the management of the car dealer and commercial vehicle manufacturer fail to address their grievances in seven days time.
Among other important things, the workers are demanding implementation of a new salary structure and recruitment of a local human resources manager or officer.
Nyasa Times understands discussions over these issues—which at times involved, among others, Ministry of Labour and Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC)—began in 2018 but management has been “changing goal posts”, angering the workers.
Fed up, the workers, through their sector body—the Transport &General Workers Union—have now written their management, asking them to address their grievances forthwith or face an industrial action after seven days.
The letter, addressed to the Malawi Branch General Manager and copied to Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Labour, is dated June 20, 2023 and signed by General Secretary for Transport & General Workers Union, Ronald Mbewe.
It reads, in part: “Refer to the conciliation meeting of 29th May 2023 held at the Regional Labour office, where parties failed to reach an agreement on the dispute declared by the union on implementation of a new salary structure since the matter was started and agreed in 2018.
“This means the dispute is unresolved after the union followed all procedures of resolving the dispute and management is continuously failing to implement a new salary structure despite signing three agreements on the same.
“We, therefore, demand that the new salary structure be implemented in line with the agreement of 13th September, 2022, with entry point and ceiling point as well as notch movement”.
The workers are also demanding that management recruit a competent local human resources manager or officer who will be more responsive in addressing the workers’ welfare with urgency.
Apparently, the Human Resources Manager is based in Zambia and reportedly visits the Malawi Branch once or twice in a year.
“Conclusively, if management fails to take action on the two demands, then in line with section 45(2b) and 46(3) of the Labour Relations Act of 1996, we give seven days notice of a strike from the date of this letter.
“Our members have signed the affirmation form in support of the industrial action,” further reads the letter.
In an interview, MacDonald Chuma, Transport & General Workers Union organizer for Central Region, complained that Tata is failing to sort issues of less than 100 workers at the Malawi branch.
“They are failing to come up with a tangible salary structure. Some workers are earning less than MK100,000 and worked for ten years without any improvement in their lives.
“If these people work for another ten or fifteen years, it means they will have no financial security after retirement”.
HRCC Board Chairperson, Robert Mkwezalamba, said the body, as a friend of the unions, supports the workers intention to strike.
“Tata needs to respond to the needs of the workers. They make billions of money by selling just 10 to 20 of some type of their vehicles. Yet they are paying some of their workers in Malawi as less as MK60,000. This is exploitation”.
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