Speaking during the workshop on capacity building for labor laws and fundamental rights at work in Blantyre, ECAM Executive Director Beyani Munthali said among others the voice of employers in the country always strive to make sure that employers are well equipped for them to progress.

“We always want to make sure that our members are always in line with provisions of labour laws in the country and also having productive workforce. These workshops will continue based on our calendar,” said Munthali pointing out that ECAM is doing all it can for its members to progress even in a challenging economy.

Employers during the workshop were grilled in surviving challenging economic situations, labour market developments – employers alert, unbundling the Employment Amendment Act 2010 and Social Security as well as economics of labour justice.

One of the facilitators at the workshop Laston Masumba challenged the employers that productivity is very critical if the organization or company is to grow and make profits. He said some of the major issues affecting productivity include employee competence, poor time keeping and management, attitudes towards work and ethics.

He however appealed to employers in the country to have clear strategy for the organization, vision, mission and values as well as hiring employees based on competence. He said employers should be motivating the employees through trainings among others.

“Productivity is a crucial factor in production performance of firms and nations. Increasing national productivity can raise living standards because more real income improves people's ability to purchase goods and services, enjoy leisure, improve housing and education and contribute to social and environmental programs,” said Masumba.

Speaking after the workshop, factory Supervisor at Leopard Match Limited John Mathandalizwe commended ECAM for organizing such a workshop as it has equipped employers with knowledge on how to deal with issues that affect organizations and companies.

“Most of the things employers face have been tackled. We have learned that good relationship between the employer and employee can help to achieve productivity. Many problems at workplace arise because the majority of employers are not aware on how to deal with the problems,” he said.