By Vincent Gunde
Commander in Chief of Muvi wa Chilungamo Revolutionary Party (MRP) Bantu Saunders Jumah, says Malawi workers are still being exploited in factories, companies and in Indian houses besides the country holding Workers Day every year.
Jumah said remembering Workers Day in Africa and Malawi (Labour Day) should be a day when governments of caring its citizens must sit down and find ways of providing conducive working environment to their workers and not workers to be subjected to hard conditions.
He said in Malawi, Workers Day is celebrated with the Malawi Congress of Trade Union (MCTU) not knowing their duties and objectives and is not involved with grievances of workers in companies and factories.
Speaking through his face book page widely read by many people in Malawi and Africa, Jumah has claimed that workers such as teachers, Nurses are being exploited in their places of work, they work as animals because their affiliates Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) and Nurses Association of Malawi (NAM) are there without their umbrella bodies.
Jumah said in South Africa, Congress of South African Trade Union (COSATU) work hand in hand with government of the day to make sure that workers grievances are heard and addressed and have offices for workers to be going and report their grievances.
He said in Malawi, members of the Malawi Congress of Trade Union (MCTU) have no offices to operate from, you only see them at events of commemorating Workers Day saying this is not a surprise that workers voices are not heard as government do not have concrete measures of issues affecting them.
The MRP President said under Muvi wa Chilungamo, a new Workers organization affiliated to government will be born and will include those working in Indian houses and manual labour unions of which the President will be an automatic Board member.
He said on May 1 Labour Day, the president will not be going to Njamba Freedom Park or BICC in Lilongwe to join the workers but visiting any of the companies and factories of his choice in an emergency visit to see how workers are being treated.
“MCTU will have its buildings, own vehicles to carry out inspections to companies and factories without notice,” said Jumah.
He said MRP will make sure that workers are working in conducive environment in their active unions and labour unions, workers are looked after through Ubunthu social business where they will have shares , insurances and after suspensions and dismissals, they should be going home smiling with something.
