Articles

Malawi Govt, employers must do things properly

We are not surprised with what the Clerk of Parliament is saying.

Job tenancies, functions and deliverables must always be clear in any employer-employee relationship, both in the public and private sectors.

That, indeed, is the only way productivity, measurement or industrial harmony can be assured.

In fact, for both sides of the bargain, such clarity also ensures conformity with the labour law and other statutes, notably the Constitution.

Which, of course, does not mean we agree with the course of action taken by the Clerk of Parliament, whose resolve may pose a challenge or delay in effecting (critical) bills recently transacted by Parliament, notably, the national budget.

But what we can say with certainty is what we have said before, that government or any employer must always assess the risks and implications when firing staff, especially senior personnel.

It is worrying that in the Clerk of Parliament case, plus several other recent ones, government did not take a 360 degrees view of the issues at hand and their implications.

And that is not good for a government. It sends wrong messages. In this case, one may read incompetence or sheer vengeance?