Ministry of Labour launches a Tobacco Workers Survey Report focusing on Tenant Growers in Malawi’s Tobacco Industry

The Malawi National Statistical Office (NSO) collected a range of demographic and socio-economic data of households involved in the cultivation of tobacco in 15 tobacco growing districts. The report has facilitated a better understanding of the working conditions of workers involved in the tenancy labour work arrangement within the tobacco sector of Malawi following the abolishment of the tenancy labour in 2021.

Under a tenancy work arrangement, tenants, and their families, cultivate tobacco/crops on plots allocated to them by the leaseholder or estate owner where they are provided with materials, agricultural inputs and services, in consideration to produce and sell agricultural commodities, exclusively, to the estate owner. Remuneration is received by the tenant, at the end of the growing season after costs have been deducted-recovered by estate owner. This has often been considered an exploitative labour practice and a form of forced labour with characteristics of bondage labour.

The report, therefore, revealed that the tobacco industry in Malawi employs 355,582 workers across 174,923 households, 74 percent of the tobacco working households are engaged in tenancy arrangements, with 44.1 percent of tenants not having a written contract agreement and further examination into the gender parity revealed that 54.9 percent of the tenants were males and 45.1 per cent were female tenants. It was also learned that most of the workers (99 percent) are not members of the trade unions and 42.3 percent of children aged 5-13 years and 57.7 percent aged 14-17 years were engaged in child labour

“In 2021, Tenancy Labour was abolished through the amendment of Section 4 of the Employment Act of Malawi,” said Minister of Labour, Hon. Agnes Nyalonje during the launch of the survey at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe.

Ms. Nyalonje expressed concern over the occurrence of tenancy labour as revealed in the report.

She urged all stakeholders to collaborate in expediting efforts/actions, raising awareness, conducting thorough inspections, and promoting decent work conditions to ensure the complete eradication of the practice.

Speaking at the same event, ILO Country Office Director for Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, Mr. Wellington Chibebe said the launch of the report was a milestone in terms of understanding tenancy labour practices in the country.

“This gives us current and detailed overview of the extent and characteristics of the tenancy system within Malawi, offering vital information to policymakers and stakeholders to tackle decent work deficits and support the government's efforts in transitioning towards more equitable employment practices within the tobacco industry,” said Mr. Chibebe.

Meanwhile, Employers Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM) Executive Director, Mr. George Khaki applauded the Ministry of Labour for commissioning the study that informs stakeholders of the challenges that need to be addressed in the industry.

Mr. Khaki said tobacco was the heartbeat of Malawian economy generating a lot of the much-needed foreign exchange for the country, and providing thousands of jobs, as well as sustaining millions of livelihoods in the value chain.

And Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU) Secretary General, Mr. Madalitso Njolomole said the report confirmed some of the concerns that they have had for several years and that the report though challenging offers opportunity to inform their action towards protecting workers’ rights in the tobacco sector.