Addressing its members during Labour Law Consultative Workshop in Blantyre, ECAM Executive Director Bayani Munthali said the exercise will help ECAM to come up with solid contribution to the Acts.

“We are consulting our members on the proposed Amendments to the Employment Act and Labour Relations Act, dealing with a number of issues like special conditions for pregnant women and proper procedures when dismissing employees,” said Munthali.

He added that members input on the bills government submitted to ECAM will help the Voice of Employers to deal with the gaps and submit a good position paper to the government through the Ministry of Labour, Youths, Sports and Manpower Development.

“The bills have already been submitted to us, by consulting our members we want to come up with good position paper. Our members have received the bills, but from the meeting some issues have been raised,” he explained pointing out that the employer’s body will come up with the stand once consultation is done.

Employment (Amendment) Bill among other things seeks to amend the Employment Act (Cap 55:01) by removing the inclusion of tenants in the definition of an empleyee and providing for the prohibition of tenancy labour in Malawi.

On the other hand, Labour Relations (Amendment) Bill among others seeks to amend the Labour Relations Act (Cap 58:01) in order to provide for an employer’s right to deduct money from an employee who is on strike, clarify the categories of essential services to which the right to strike and lockdown does not apply and to do away with the requirement of employer and employee panelists in the Industrial Relations Court.