The Employers’ Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM) is pushing for the government to ratify Convention No. 102 Social Security (Minimum Standards), emphasizing its crucial role in the country’s development.
Speaking on Friday during the Employers of the Year awards ceremony in Blantyre, ECAM President Anne Chavula stressed that social protection is vital for economic growth, as it enables individuals to have economic abilities.
“Convention 102 talks about social protection, which is essential for economic growth. With strong social protection, everyone will have economic abilities,” Chavula explained. “It is one of the crucial matters to be prioritised for the development of the country. As such we are urging the government to ratify Convention No. 102 Social Security (Minimum Standards)”
Chavula added that ECAM aims to lobby on behalf of companies, leveraging its position as the only government-recognized body mandated to advance workers’ interests under the Labour Relations Act 1996.
In response, Paul Kalilombe, Director of Administration in the Ministry of Labour, acknowledged the ongoing efforts to ratify Convention 102. “We are working towards ratifying some conventions, but it’s a long process requiring wide consultation. We’re confident that with our current leadership, we’ll achieve this soon,” Kalilombe said.
ECAM’s mission is to provide efficient services for enterprise development and competitiveness, promoting sound labour relations and good governance. The organization has direct membership from 250 organizations, representing over 277,000 members.
The Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102), is the flagship of all International Labour Organization (ILO) social security Conventions, as it is the only international instrument, based on basic social security principles, that establishes worldwide-agreed minimum standards for all nine branches. So far it has been ratified by 63 countries.
By ratifying Convention 102, Malawi can strengthen its social protection framework, ultimately driving economic growth and improving livelihoods. ECAM’s efforts aim to bring about positive change, and their persistence is likely to yield results shortly.
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