Deadlock at Mota Engil sit-in
Minister of Labour Eunice Makangala on Tuesday failed to break the deadlock at Mota-Engil railway construction camp in Neno in southern Malawi where workers are staging a sit in.
The workers downed tools on Monday demanding increased wages and that Thais at the company should be sent packing.
Makangala went into the negotiating room with workers and management representatives into Tuesday’s meeting.
The meeting ended at 5pm, but the workers refused to report to work today pending further discussions.
About 300 Thais are said to have arrived in the country three weeks ago, as part of the Mota-Engil acceleration on the works to achieve the ambitious milestone set to the construction of the $1 billion Kachaso to Nkaya railway link.
The company’s contract manager, Joao Neto, in recent a circular to employees at the camp, said as part of the acceleration already going on, more equipment was mobilised and night shifts started on many work fronts; hence, more employees were required.
But the pronouncement has riled the 3 000 workers accusing the company of bringing in casual labourers that are replacing Malawians.
On the Thais, Makangala said the foreigners will be repatriated in phases starting with a group of 21 who have no skills required at the construction company.
“The other group of Thais with experience will leave after training Malawians so they take over their jobs,” she said.
Meanwhile, negotiations resume today (Tuesday).
Where are Vale and SRK local workers. They are also in a similar position whereby their salaries are too low as compared to their white masters. We need them to join us in this fight against discrimination. The Portuguese at Mota-Engil need to be investigated on the way they treat Malawians. Most Malawians are dismissed without following proper procedures.
The Portuguese are well known for slave trade and they are practicing this at the Nacal railway project whereby by employees work from 6 to 6 from monday to sunday and by the end of the day they get K20,000. There is one notorious Portuguese Nuno Silva who literally does nothing but upon seeing a Malawian to collect PPE from his office he shouts at them and sometimes deducts from their salaries. He behaves as if he is the overall boss in Mota-Engil and sometimes behaves as if he has taken marijuana. Malawians are not respected at all and they look as beggars.
Have the courage to address personally the people you mention… it is easy to post a comment… say it to their face…