The International Centre for Trade Union Rights (ICTRUR), an organisation that fights the rights of workers worldwide through its affiliate, the Malawi Congress for Trade Union (MCTU), has established a labour centre called African Workers Rights Now in Malawi.
The Centre’s Board Member and Supervising Counsellor, Sunduzwayo Madise, said in an interview with APA on Friday that the centre will be tasked with fighting for the rights of workers, primarily in the security sector.
"We shall be providing free consultation, legal advice and legal representation to guards and all workers who cannot afford to engage a lawyer or pay legal fees when their bosses abuse them," he said.
He said the MCTU had carried out research recently on the conditions of service applicable in the security service sector. The findings showed that most security guards were lowly paid, worked for longer hours without being paid overtime allowance and were highly abused by their bosses, most of who had grown rich from the virtual slave labour conditions.
Friday, 3 October 2008
Malawi tobacco earnings jump to near $500 million
Malawi has earned close to $500 million from tobacco sales so far this year, a huge jump from $185 million in full-year 2007, an industry official said on Friday.
"This year the country has made $457 million from tobacco, more than the projected 88 percent increase from last year's earnings," Godfrey Chapola, general manager for the Tobacco Control Commission told Reuters.
Earnings had initially been projected at about $348 million.
Tobacco, Malawi's main foreign currency earner, accounts for more than 70 percent of its exports and 15 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP).
About 2 million of the southern African country's 13 million people depend on tobacco and related industries for their livelihood.
Chapola said tobacco volumes had increased from the final estimate of about 170,000 tonnes to about 188,000 tonnes, pushing up revenues for this year.
Higher prices on Malawi's auction floors in the last two years have encouraged higher tobacco output, raising production from 140,000 tonnes in 2006.
On the biggest auction floors in the capital Lilongwe, which closed sales last week, farmers sold their crop at an average of $2 per kg, after President Bingu wa Mutharika ordered buyers to offer better prices or leave the country.
For many years tobacco prices had hovered around 70-90 U.S. cents per kg, far lower than the $1 farmers say it costs to produce 1 kg of the golden leaf.
"This year the country has made $457 million from tobacco, more than the projected 88 percent increase from last year's earnings," Godfrey Chapola, general manager for the Tobacco Control Commission told Reuters.
Earnings had initially been projected at about $348 million.
Tobacco, Malawi's main foreign currency earner, accounts for more than 70 percent of its exports and 15 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP).
About 2 million of the southern African country's 13 million people depend on tobacco and related industries for their livelihood.
Chapola said tobacco volumes had increased from the final estimate of about 170,000 tonnes to about 188,000 tonnes, pushing up revenues for this year.
Higher prices on Malawi's auction floors in the last two years have encouraged higher tobacco output, raising production from 140,000 tonnes in 2006.
On the biggest auction floors in the capital Lilongwe, which closed sales last week, farmers sold their crop at an average of $2 per kg, after President Bingu wa Mutharika ordered buyers to offer better prices or leave the country.
For many years tobacco prices had hovered around 70-90 U.S. cents per kg, far lower than the $1 farmers say it costs to produce 1 kg of the golden leaf.
Malawi tobacco earnings jump to near $500 million
Malawi has earned close to $500 million from tobacco sales so far this year, a huge jump from $185 million in full-year 2007, an industry official said on Friday.
"This year the country has made $457 million from tobacco, more than the projected 88 percent increase from last year's earnings," Godfrey Chapola, general manager for the Tobacco Control Commission told Reuters.
Earnings had initially been projected at about $348 million.
Tobacco, Malawi's main foreign currency earner, accounts for more than 70 percent of its exports and 15 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP).
About 2 million of the southern African country's 13 million people depend on tobacco and related industries for their livelihood.
Chapola said tobacco volumes had increased from the final estimate of about 170,000 tonnes to about 188,000 tonnes, pushing up revenues for this year.
Higher prices on Malawi's auction floors in the last two years have encouraged higher tobacco output, raising production from 140,000 tonnes in 2006.
On the biggest auction floors in the capital Lilongwe, which closed sales last week, farmers sold their crop at an average of $2 per kg, after President Bingu wa Mutharika ordered buyers to offer better prices or leave the country.
For many years tobacco prices had hovered around 70-90 U.S. cents per kg, far lower than the $1 farmers say it costs to produce 1 kg of the golden leaf.
"This year the country has made $457 million from tobacco, more than the projected 88 percent increase from last year's earnings," Godfrey Chapola, general manager for the Tobacco Control Commission told Reuters.
Earnings had initially been projected at about $348 million.
Tobacco, Malawi's main foreign currency earner, accounts for more than 70 percent of its exports and 15 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP).
About 2 million of the southern African country's 13 million people depend on tobacco and related industries for their livelihood.
Chapola said tobacco volumes had increased from the final estimate of about 170,000 tonnes to about 188,000 tonnes, pushing up revenues for this year.
Higher prices on Malawi's auction floors in the last two years have encouraged higher tobacco output, raising production from 140,000 tonnes in 2006.
On the biggest auction floors in the capital Lilongwe, which closed sales last week, farmers sold their crop at an average of $2 per kg, after President Bingu wa Mutharika ordered buyers to offer better prices or leave the country.
For many years tobacco prices had hovered around 70-90 U.S. cents per kg, far lower than the $1 farmers say it costs to produce 1 kg of the golden leaf.
International workers’ rights body sets labour centre in Malawi
The International Centre for Trade Union Rights (ICTRUR), an organisation that fights the rights of workers worldwide through its affiliate, the Malawi Congress for Trade Union (MCTU), has established a labour centre called African Workers Rights Now in Malawi.
The Centre’s Board Member and Supervising Counsellor, Sunduzwayo Madise, said in an interview with APA on Friday that the centre will be tasked with fighting for the rights of workers, primarily in the security sector.
"We shall be providing free consultation, legal advice and legal representation to guards and all workers who cannot afford to engage a lawyer or pay legal fees when their bosses abuse them," he said.
He said the MCTU had carried out research recently on the conditions of service applicable in the security service sector. The findings showed that most security guards were lowly paid, worked for longer hours without being paid overtime allowance and were highly abused by their bosses, most of who had grown rich from the virtual slave labour conditions.
The Centre’s Board Member and Supervising Counsellor, Sunduzwayo Madise, said in an interview with APA on Friday that the centre will be tasked with fighting for the rights of workers, primarily in the security sector.
"We shall be providing free consultation, legal advice and legal representation to guards and all workers who cannot afford to engage a lawyer or pay legal fees when their bosses abuse them," he said.
He said the MCTU had carried out research recently on the conditions of service applicable in the security service sector. The findings showed that most security guards were lowly paid, worked for longer hours without being paid overtime allowance and were highly abused by their bosses, most of who had grown rich from the virtual slave labour conditions.
Making a big difference in Malawi
STONEHOUSE Better World recently received some encouraging photos from their partners in Malawi.
The images were taken on the digital camera gifted to the Mulanje Mission partnership group by SBW.
Better World have received pictures of the construction of a chicken house, which was paid for with the proceeds of last year’s Chickens for Christmas appeal.
The Mulanje group have also sent images of the school water pump being repaired. The money for the work came from the proceeds of the Loose Change Challenge held at Stonehouse and Newfield primaries last term.
SBW hope to exhibit the photos soon at Stonehouse Development Trust office.
They would also like to remind the community that they are holding a Sportsman’s Dinner at Daziel Park country club next month. The event, which was organised by Larkhall councillor Jackie Burns and businessman Bobby Brown, will be held on October 3.
Tickets cost £30 and include a meal, guest speakers and a charity auction.
Confirmed speakers are former referee John McKelvie, former cricketer Sandy Strang and ex-footballer and manager Des McKeown.
All proceeds of the evening will be used to fund sustainable projects in Malawi.
The images were taken on the digital camera gifted to the Mulanje Mission partnership group by SBW.
Better World have received pictures of the construction of a chicken house, which was paid for with the proceeds of last year’s Chickens for Christmas appeal.
The Mulanje group have also sent images of the school water pump being repaired. The money for the work came from the proceeds of the Loose Change Challenge held at Stonehouse and Newfield primaries last term.
SBW hope to exhibit the photos soon at Stonehouse Development Trust office.
They would also like to remind the community that they are holding a Sportsman’s Dinner at Daziel Park country club next month. The event, which was organised by Larkhall councillor Jackie Burns and businessman Bobby Brown, will be held on October 3.
Tickets cost £30 and include a meal, guest speakers and a charity auction.
Confirmed speakers are former referee John McKelvie, former cricketer Sandy Strang and ex-footballer and manager Des McKeown.
All proceeds of the evening will be used to fund sustainable projects in Malawi.
Education offers hope to a young man in the working world of Malawi
His is a perfect picture of adversity, tenacity and hope – a sensational, if not disheartening, drama whose final chapter, one prays, will end in glory.
Brian Kamwendo was born an only child in 1988 in southern Malawi. He lost his father when he was only a day old and was single-handedly raised by his mother, an accounts clerk at a local security company. Well-off by the standards of his community in one of the poorest countries in the world, Brian grew up a happy child, basking in the singular attention and warmth of his mother's love.
His world fell apart unexpectedly with the death of his mother in 1997. Brian stayed with his stepfather until he, too, died in 1999. At 11, Brian was taken in by his grandmother and whisked off to her village. Life was never the same again.
Heavy chores for a young boy
Brian struggled to go to school and, in 2002, did well enough to be selected to secondary school. Unfortunately, his grandmother could not afford the fees and Brian was forced to stay home. The situation he faced highlights the need for all countries to abolish school fees in order to ensure that children like Brian don't miss out on education.
"It was then that I decided to come to Blantyre to look for work," he says. "I found a job as a domestic worker in Bangwe, earning 400 Malawian kwacha [about US$2.80] a month. I was unable to save because I was getting so little."
Brian's chores were so heavy that he needed to wake up early at 4 a.m. every day. He would light the fire, prepare breakfast, and sweep and mop the house. Then he would be off to the local market to buy groceries, after which he was required to cook lunch and do the dishes.
His afternoon routine included washing and ironing clothes by hand and preparing supper for members of the family. Since he was living with his employers, he was expected to work seven days a week.
Negotiating for better conditions
In 2003, Brian sought help from the local councillor, who referred him to the Active Youth Initiative for Social Enhancement (AYISE), a UNICEF-supported non-governmental organization that helps child domestic workers attend school and negotiates for better working conditions.
AYISE asked Brian's employer to allow him to go to school, to raise his pay to 1,500 Malawian kwacha (US$10), and to limit his working hours to four a day. When the employer refused, AYISE advised Brian to leave.
"I had nowhere to go," said Brian. "As I went round looking for shelter, I met an old neighbour of ours who was good friends with my late mum and was prepared to look after me."
'I want to attend college'
In 2004, Brian enrolled at Bangwe Community Day Secondary School. In 2005, he obtained his junior certificate in education, emerging as the top student. By then, AYISE was paying for his education.
"In 2006, my guardian lost his job and moved to the village," Brian recalled. "I had to stop school and follow him, as I had nowhere else to stay. In 2007, we came back to Blantyre and I was able to continue with my schooling.
"I am grateful for the support I receive from AYISE, because without it, I don't know where I would have been," he added. "I sometimes fear for my future, but I want to attend college and become a doctor. Only the lack of money may hinder me from realizing my dream.
Brian Kamwendo was born an only child in 1988 in southern Malawi. He lost his father when he was only a day old and was single-handedly raised by his mother, an accounts clerk at a local security company. Well-off by the standards of his community in one of the poorest countries in the world, Brian grew up a happy child, basking in the singular attention and warmth of his mother's love.
His world fell apart unexpectedly with the death of his mother in 1997. Brian stayed with his stepfather until he, too, died in 1999. At 11, Brian was taken in by his grandmother and whisked off to her village. Life was never the same again.
Heavy chores for a young boy
Brian struggled to go to school and, in 2002, did well enough to be selected to secondary school. Unfortunately, his grandmother could not afford the fees and Brian was forced to stay home. The situation he faced highlights the need for all countries to abolish school fees in order to ensure that children like Brian don't miss out on education.
"It was then that I decided to come to Blantyre to look for work," he says. "I found a job as a domestic worker in Bangwe, earning 400 Malawian kwacha [about US$2.80] a month. I was unable to save because I was getting so little."
Brian's chores were so heavy that he needed to wake up early at 4 a.m. every day. He would light the fire, prepare breakfast, and sweep and mop the house. Then he would be off to the local market to buy groceries, after which he was required to cook lunch and do the dishes.
His afternoon routine included washing and ironing clothes by hand and preparing supper for members of the family. Since he was living with his employers, he was expected to work seven days a week.
Negotiating for better conditions
In 2003, Brian sought help from the local councillor, who referred him to the Active Youth Initiative for Social Enhancement (AYISE), a UNICEF-supported non-governmental organization that helps child domestic workers attend school and negotiates for better working conditions.
AYISE asked Brian's employer to allow him to go to school, to raise his pay to 1,500 Malawian kwacha (US$10), and to limit his working hours to four a day. When the employer refused, AYISE advised Brian to leave.
"I had nowhere to go," said Brian. "As I went round looking for shelter, I met an old neighbour of ours who was good friends with my late mum and was prepared to look after me."
'I want to attend college'
In 2004, Brian enrolled at Bangwe Community Day Secondary School. In 2005, he obtained his junior certificate in education, emerging as the top student. By then, AYISE was paying for his education.
"In 2006, my guardian lost his job and moved to the village," Brian recalled. "I had to stop school and follow him, as I had nowhere else to stay. In 2007, we came back to Blantyre and I was able to continue with my schooling.
"I am grateful for the support I receive from AYISE, because without it, I don't know where I would have been," he added. "I sometimes fear for my future, but I want to attend college and become a doctor. Only the lack of money may hinder me from realizing my dream.
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