By Charles Mkula, Contributor
Political Mechanization has forced government, as a main agent owning the means of production to convince a bunch of the so called representatives of the masses to pass a Parliamentary Bill which seeks to curtail the right of workers to stage industrial actions as means of balancing power relations in a labour dispute.
This development exposes the hard truth that behind the development rhetoric by most of the country’s leaders, there rears the ugly face of an exploitative intention that the ordinary person who works hard to contribute to the steps towards reaching ‘the promised land” can never imagine.
The Labour Relations (Amendment) Bill, 2021 seeks to amend the Labour Relations Act to “provide for an employer’s right to deduct wages from an employee who is on strike”. As can be seen here, this line of thinking does not take into account the reason(s) for the said industrial action.
The proposed reform, not only ignores international obligations and instruments, but also undermines rather than improves industrial relations by handing the employer the ace card to take advantage of employees who are already oppressed by flouted workplace power balance.
Framers of this Bill seem not to have considered the conditions into which workers are subjected to when they commit their energy, time and effort as inputs for a wider growth process for their employer, the nation and much more so for their own personal growth.
Much as the labour movements through trade unions have made some achievements in fighting for the rights of workers, the latest development by government is a wake call for trade unions to gang up to trim to size the negative capitalistic tendencies that choke workers. Unions have aa long way to go including fighting for fair remuneration and the introduction of social security systems among other labour needs.
The claim by the Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU) and the Employers Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM), social partners to the Tripartite Labour Advisory Council, that government did not consult them when coming up with the said amendment bill, speaks volumes of the lack of involvement of the partners.
The lack of involvement of the MCTU, as the representatives of the workers, in policy formulation has severe impact on the type of policies that the government makes and implements for workers and their families.
It is important for the state to realize that it has a unique role as an employment relations actor. It is not just a mere legislator but a critical player in balancing employer/employee power relations by managing the economy, creating jobs, enforcing worker’s rights and as enforcing favorable work and employment relationship policies.
Despite being at the centre stage of discussions of economic changes, lack of involvement of worker’s representatives directly affects the country’s ability to address questions on how workers can add value to the country’s economic transformation through quality employment.
Apart from a few isolated cases, the trade union movement has not made any significant impact on the nature, structure and implementation of government programs. It has unfortunately left its role to be played out by opposition parties and other civil society organizations and development partners as it concentrates on fire-fighting effects not causes of a dysfunctional economy.
It would have been expected that at this time when the nation is faced with a damning economic crisis that has brought to the fore harsh realities and propelled people start discussing fidgety issues around class, exploitation, poverty, inequality and the need for creating an inclusive society, trade union leaders should be on the frontline contributing transformative ideas into national policies.
Being workers’ representative agencies and promoters of an inclusive economy, unions, as grassroots democratic organizers at both the workplace and communities, have a responsibility to see to it that democracy is not just practiced at the national political level but is also observed within local economic structures as a fundamental aspect of any economic transformation and inclusiveness.
Poverty and inequality studies by Oxfam confirm that the characteristics of Malawi’s political and economic system hinders inclusiveness by assuming that the exclusion and exploitation of powerless sections of the society in order to accumulate profit is fundamental to prosperity and wellbeing.
It is high time that trade unions see themselves as an indispensable aspect of social and economic sustainability. Time is now ripe for the labour movement to galvanize support from the community, especially the larger unorganized informal sector of the economy, where there is a high level of solidarity mobilization and willingness to engage in collective action.
Trade unions can impact the policy process at all levels through civil society campaigns and formal negotiations simultaneously
It is therefore an urgent call for trade unions as organized representatives of the most exploited to mobilize machinery in order to alter the logic behind the contemporary economy by negotiating collective bargaining agreements, negotiating a living wage or confronting trade bargains that do not Favour the common man.
In order to become a transformative force, it is necessary that the labour movement must (re)define itself as a collective movement, a movement that is addressing not only the symptoms of exclusion and exploitation, but more fundamentally the logic of capital and creating an alternative vision inside the vacuum left by political parties and civil society groups.
It is time union started mobilization of a much broader base recruiting students and young people, the unemployed and other social movements since all of these have a stake in a more inclusive economy.
Trade unions are by far not the only actor and most likely not even the most effective actor in bringing about, securing and maintaining inclusive economic transformation but they are, due to their democratic, and institutional characteristics, crucial to the process.
About the Author
Charles Nkula is the General Secretary for Journalists Union Of Malawi (JUMA).
