Labour inspections key for decent work promotion

Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Labour, Wezi Kayira, says labour inspections remains a fundamental element on the road to achieving decent work in the country, more particularly in the areas of safety and health. The PS made the remarks in Blantyre, during an intensive training for labour inspectors drawn from the Southern region, under the European Union funded ‘Zantchito Skills for Jobs’ programme.

Kayira reaffirmed Malawi’s commitment to strengthening labour inspectorate to comply with the provisions of the conventions and protocol which the country ratified, including the Occupational Safety and Health Conventions and Protocol of 2014 as well as the Forced Labour Convention of 2019.

He has since urged the labour inspectors to demonstrate commitment towards improving the Labour Administration System in the country.

“Labour inspection is an integral part of the Labour Administration System that plays a fundamental role in ensuring effective law and labour standards application. As you are aware, labour inspection involves physical visits to workplaces to check the conditions under which employees are working, which is critical to curb decent work deficits,” he said.

The PS also thanked EU for the provision of technical and financial support through GOPA Worldwide Consultants, which is an implementing agency on the decent jobs aspect of the Zantchito Skills for Jobs Programme.

The Zantchito Project Occupational Safety and Health Expert, Johanes Mandowa, reminded the participants to be proactive to adjust to the ever changing work dynamics in work places.

He said the training was timely to ensure that the labour inspectors are equipped with the current knowledge and technics that can be used to maximize compliance to the country’s labour policies and laws.

According to Manduwa, the project seeks to conduct a total of 3000 inspections by 2025.

Balaka district Labour inspector, Harriet Dendera, said the training was an eye opener, promising to effectively use the knowledge gained to ensure employers are creating decent work environments for employees.

So far, a total of 228 labour inspections and 231 Occupational Safety Health (OSH) inspections have been conducted in the central and northern regions with plans to conduct a sweeping inspection in the Southern region soon.

The training was conducted under the theme; “promoting effective integrated labour inspection for attainment of decent jobs”.