By Pemphero Malimba
Labour Minister Vitumbiko Mumba has urged employers in the country to adhere to proper procedures when hiring expatriates for their organisations.
Mumba made this call after inspecting telecommunications infrastructure company Helios Towers Malawi’s offices in Lilongwe yesterday.
His inspection followed the receipt of complaints from some current and former employees of the company earlier this year.
Among other issues, the complaints centred on unfair labour practices, such as the dismissal of Malawians from key positions, which were allegedly subsequently filled by expatriates.
There were also allegations of mistreatment of employees by some senior officials at the company.
During the inspection, the Malawi Accountants Board (MAB) alleged that the recruitment of the head of finance had not been conducted in an orderly manner, as required by the Public Accountants and Auditors Act.
The law stipulates that anyone employed as an accountant must be registered with the MAB, among other requirements.
Meanwhile, officials from the Malawi Engineering Institute (MEI) observed that one of the executive heads of projects appeared not to be registered with the institution.
This is said to be a violation of the MEI Act of 2019, which mandates that anyone practising engineering in the country, whether local or foreign, must be registered with the institute.
Mumba encouraged employers to first assess the availability of locally qualified candidates before recruiting expatriates, in order to comply with the country’s laws.
“An expatriate can work in Malawi for a maximum of six years and from day one, they must have a local counterpart to understudy them, with the aim of taking over once the six years have expired.
“Before an expatriate is brought to Malawi, the organisation intending to hire one must consult locally to ensure that no one with the necessary qualifications is available to perform the same job,” he said.
The minister then indicated that his ministry had received numerous complaints of a similar nature.
Helios Towers Malawi has since been given seven days to submit a written response to the ministry regarding the matter.
During the meeting, the company’s officials, led by Managing Director Amani Keenja, explained that expatriates were employed because the company sought individuals who were already experts in the business.
However, the officials claimed that they were unaware of some of the complaints raised by employees and would discuss the issues further.
For his part, MAB chairperson Sangwani Hara said that the board would await Mumba’s guidance before taking action on the matter.
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