Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2002, published 91st ILC session (2003)

Labour Administration Convention, 1978 (No. 150) - Malawi (Ratification: 1999)

The Committee notes the Government’s first report and the attached documents. It draws the Government’s attention to the following points.

Articles 1 and 6 of the Convention. The Government indicates under these Articles that the system of labour administration is organized in accordance with the provisions of Part III of the Employment Act No. 6 of 2000. Noting that these provisions address exclusively the functions of the labour inspection system, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide additional information on the organization of the other public administration bodies responsible for or which contribute to the preparation, administration, coordination, checking and review of national labour policy.

Article 3. According to the Government, any matters which affect employers, workers or their organizations can be regulated through direct negotiations between employers’ and workers’ organizations. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate precisely the activities in the field of its national labour policy which are regarded as being regulated by having recourse to direct negotiations between employers’ and workers’ organizations.

Article 4. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate the measures taken to ensure that the system of labour administration operates effectively and that the functions and responsibilities entrusted to it are properly coordinated.

Article 5. The Government reports the existence of a tripartite consultation system at the national, regional and district levels covering the various sectors of economic activity. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the manner in which these consultations are organized and, where appropriate, to provide the names of the tripartite bodies in which they are held.

Article 7. According to the Government, national conditions require the gradual extension of the functions of labour administration to cover the workers mentioned in points (a) to (d) of this Article. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide, as it indicated it would in its report, a copy of the Bill for the protection of tenants, sharecroppers and similar categories of agricultural workers, which was prepared in consultation with employers, workers and both local and international human rights organizations, as well as information on the subjects covered by these consultations and their outcome, or if it would provide a copy of the definitive text of the Act, as appropriate.

Article 8. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the bodies of the labour administration system responsible for participating in the preparation of national policy concerning international labour affairs and in the representation of the State with respect to such affairs, and for the preparation of measures to be taken at the national level with respect thereto.

Article 10. The Committee notes the indication that there has been no response to the request made to the ILO for technical assistance in the training of newly recruited labour inspectors. It further notes the information concerning the lack of vehicles and materials for the smooth operation of labour administration, the weakness of the system for the compilation of statistics and the request for ILO assistance for the establishment of appropriate models for the publication of information that is comparable at the international level. The Committee hopes that the Government will be able to provide information in its next report on any steps taken to renew these requests, and on the results obtained.