Minister of Labour, Vitumbiko Mumba has ordered a seven days suspension of operations at Plastimax Company in Lilongwe for non adherence to the Occupational Safety and Health Welfare as well as the Employment Act.
An inspection conducted at the company found that workers are not provided with protective gear despite that they work in a very hazardous environment where they operate very dangerous machines and are exposed to dusty environments where they handle chemicals and waste matter from the factory.
The inspection also revealed that the company engages the workers on temporary employment and they are paid below the minimum wage where workers get as low as MK2,000.00 per day.
The workers also reported that they work for over 10 hours a day but do not get their overtime pay.The company has been instructed to rectify the issues within seven days, failure which operations will remain suspended.
Management of the Company, whose majority are Pakistan nationals, have since been asked to bring forth to the Ministry of Labour, their work permits and proof that they failed to source local talent for them to seek services from expatriates.
