The Industrial Relations Court (IRC) in Blantyre has ordered a Brazilian firm, Vale Logistics to pay compensation to eight employees for unfair dismissal in 2015.
The then IRC deputy chairperson Innocent Nebi has ordered the company to compensate the retrenched employees.
The retrenched employees, according to court documents, were claiming K4.6 billion.
Lawyer Ralph Sauti
Nebi, who is now deputy registrar of the High Court of Malawi and Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, has since referred the matter to the Registrar of the High Court for compensation assessment.
He said any party aggrieved with the judgement should appeal to the High Court within 30 days of the judgement.
The Vale ex-staff members accused the company of firing them unceremoniously in disregard of their permanent employment terms.
Nebi observed that evidence showed the applicants were employed on the permanent basis and on a contract for an unspecified period of time, but evidence showed that the firm did not communicate to the applicants about any change on their employment status.
According to Nebi, the company handled the applicants in a “very degrading, dehumanising and cruel manner”, adding prior notification to the Minister of Labour and reasons for dismissal as the law demands, were also not given.
The retrenched employees are: Chris Mazuwa Chiumia, Alexander Dalitso Chalemba, Yolanda Tashinga Chiumbu, Daniel Chilongo, Ernest Mwanga Juma, Stanley Sitimawina, Angela M’manga and Francis Osei Mserembo.
Lawyer Ralph Sauti represented the retrenched employees while Mabvuto Hara represented Vale.
Vale Logistics was working on trans-Malawi railway project that connects two pivotal points of its operations in Western and Eastern Mozambique through Malawi.
