Centre for Social Concern (CFSC) campaigns for high quality and quantity production and tenancy labour in Malawi. This is as a result of core aims of the Centre to significantly contribute towards critical and action-oriented issues in the fight against persistent high level of poverty to improving the economy.
The revelations were made during the presentation of a survey on Tobacco production and Tenancy labour in the country at Golden peacock hotel in Lilongwe.
The research reveals that tenants provide most of the labour and bear most of the risk in production of the tobacco crop. However, tenants receive only a fraction of end sale of the tobacco, have no job security, to make matters worse are typically provided with poor housing and few social services amenities. The tenancy report shows that little or no leverage at all in negotiating or enforcing their verbal contracts; and last they have inadequate legal protection with regard to their plight.
Ministry of Labour and Manpower Development, Chief Labour Officer Linda Kawamba believes that the report will mark a significant contribution towards critical reflection and action-oriented learning in the fight against poverty. “Thus particular instances where it is occasioned and perpetuated by distorted systems of redistribution of available resources that are bias towards those that have more”, commented Kawamba.
Director Centre for Social Concern Father Jos Kuppens, highlight labour tenants violence in the estates leaves detrimental effects on the victims. “According to Kuppens labours who receive low wages are more likely to be tempted to harming behaviors like theft”, said Kuppens.
International Labour Organisational (ILO), Chief Technical Advisor Khalid Hassan called on government and all concerned stakeholders(taskforce members; Tobacco Allied Workers Union of Malawi(TOAWUM); Malawi Economic Justice Network(MEJN); Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP); Trocaire; Malawi Congress of Trade Unions(MCTU) T to fight against ma-practice in different estate in the country. “ I encourage government to employ a win-win mechanism situation instead of current zero-sum game that favours state owners living tenants suffering”, said Hassan.
Centre for Social Concern is a faith-based organization that was started in 2001 as a project of the missionaries of Africa (White Fathers). It promotes research and action on social issues, linking the Christian faith and social justice.
