LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawian young people who applied for jobs in Israel through a private recruiting agency need to wait longer as there is no labor order from Israel through a private recruiting agency need to wait longer as there is no that country.
Labour Minister Agnes NyaloNje told the news conference on Friday, May 31, 2024, in the capital Lilongwe that Israel’s emergency window to labour was closed on January 31, 2024 through private recruiting agency.
NyaloNje hinted that there is a new agreement between Malawi and Israel on exporting labour based on job order in specific areas including carpentry, bricklaying, agriculture and among others.
The labour Minister disclosed that Malawi government has taken over recruiting processes of labour export to Israel.
She added, “On 18th April 2024, the Government of Malawi and the Government of the State of Israel signed a Government-to-Government Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Labour Export, built on mutual respect, cooperation and a shared commitment to foster socio-economic development and prosperity.
“Specifically, the MoU aims at promoting the protection of the labour rights, including safety, health and welfare of Malawian workers in Israel from recruitment, selection, placement with specific employers upon arrival and throughout employment until return to Malawi”.
She adds, “These rights will be further protected because of the presence of a Malawian Embassy that has been established in Israel where a Labour Attache has also been posted. Under the Government-to-Government arrangement, it is a requirement of the Government of the State of Israel that the recruitment of the applicants be carried out by a Government Agency in Malawi; and that private recruitment agencies should not be involved in the recruitment.
“During the emergency recruitment period, which was opened by the Government of the State of Israel in December 2023 and which expired on 31st January 2024, private recruitment agencies were allowed to recruit Malawians for temporary employment in the agriculture sector in the State of Israel”.
Reads NyaLonje statement, “When the emergency recruitment window was closed by the Government of the State of Israel, the involvement of Malawian private recruitment agencies was also closed by the receiving State in compliance with their laws.
“Government has noted that Malawian private recruitment agencies continued to recruit long after the deadline of 31st January 2024 set by Israel. This has led to some youths waiting to travel to Israel. Under the MoU, Government will assess whether the youths qualify according to set criteria”.
The Minister of labour further statement reads, “The final say about entry of workers into Israel resides with the Israeli Government, just as the final say on entry into Malawi resides with the Malawian Government.
In the long run, Malawi is seeking to enter into a more rigorous bilateral
agreement with Israel.
State of Readiness to Export Labour to Israel The Ministry of Labour will start orientation of District Labour Officers, health workers, immigration officers and the police from next week on the whole recruitment cycle and the role to be played by each Government Ministry, Department or Agency (MDA).
Besides the orientation on recruitment, the Ministry of Labour has also initiated a coaching and mentorship programme on Labour Migration targeting technical teams from the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
This Labour Migration Training Programme is designed to enhance Government’s capacity to develop and manage a fair and ethical labour migration governance system.
There are three supplementary documents that need to be finalized between the Government of Malawi and the Government of the State of Israel, namely:
The Standard Employment Contract;
The Letter of Commitment; and
The Declaration of Undertaking by the Worker
A virtual meeting between Malawian and Israeli Technical Teams has been arranged for the 5th of June 2024 to finalise the above supplementary documents.
Once these supplementary documents have been finalized, the Government of the State of Israel will issue an official Job Order and then the Ministry of Labour can initiate recruitment.
This formal request from the Government of the State of Israel is essential for initiating
recruitment; without receiving this, the Government of Malawi cannot propose workers to travel to Israel.
The Job Orders determine the number of workers to be sent at any one time and when they should be sent to Israel.
As the official Job Orders come, the Malawi Government will consider the youth who were recruited by private recruitment agencies after the Israeli emergency recruitment window was closed.
Looking Ahead
As we work to expand the labour export market, I am glad to announce that next week Malawi will host the Chief Executive Officer of the Builders Association of Israel along with the Israeli Ambassador to Kenya who is also responsible for Malawi.
During the visit, the two officials will among other things explore and survey possibilities of
exporting labour from Malawi to Israel in the area of construction, specifically targeting brick layers, carpenters, steel benders and tilers.
The Minister therefore assured Malawian youths that the government is also exploring labour export to Malta, German and Kuwait.