Malawi Govt admits no pact yet for South Korea labour export

Malawi Govt admits no pact yet for South Korea labour export

Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Labour Wezi Kayira has said there is no agreement between the Malawi government and South Korea on labour export, as the two governments are yet to sign the accord.

He was, however, quick to say that the process is ongoing and that it will be finalised once all technical preparations are completed. This confirms a report by a Korean official who said there is no agreement between his government and Malawi.

About three weeks ago the Ministry of Labour released names of 336 Malawians who it said successfully qualified to go to work in South Korea.

But while confirming that the deal is yet to be concluded, Kayira said what the government is doing now is only to identify skills available and will formalise an agreement afterwards.

“As a country that will export labour we are identifying labour and the skills we have. Then we will create a database and afterwards we will tell them [the South Korean government] that this is the skill and labour we have. After this we will sign the agreement.

“It is like school and getting a job. Before you find a job you go to school to learn it. Before you get a job you apply for it. You do not get a job then later apply. What we have done is applying and then wait for the jobs,” Kayira said.

Kayira, however, could not comment on the number of people who have so far submitted their necessary documents.

“Sometimes you expect people to react that way. There are technical processes that we are following like getting passports, visas, work permits and finding out what the working conditions are. We are doing things simultaneously and the agreement will be made. People will go,” Kayira said.

While other quarters are of the view that the move will relieve Malawi’s labour burden, the Malawi Congress of Trade Union (MCTU) has expressed reservations arguing up to now government does not have information about the working conditions in South Korean.

An Amnesty International report has also shown that South Korea has a record of abusing migrant workers.

MCTU Secretary General Pontius Kalichero on Wednesday said the union has all along been worried over the government’s failure to come out clear on the terms of employment for the labour exports and they now feel vindicated.

“On our part we have always expressed fear because the government was not coming out clear on the terms and conditions and others. We have been wondering what this programme is all about.

“We were uncertain because even the government seemed not to know what the programme would be like,” he said.

Last week Director at the African Division of South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Bloomberg Business Week that there was no correspondence between the two countries over the labour export programme.

“Our government has not received any official request from Malawi government that they want to send their workers to our country,” he was quoted as saying. – By Madalitso Musa