MCTU to organise workers over abusive Chinese bosses
Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU) has reacted to Chinese brutality to Malawian workers at the construction site of a National Stadium in the capital city Lilongwe by stating that it will organise the worker with a view of bringing them together to speak and act collectively to protect their rights.
There have been reports of high levels of employee harassment at the construction site and workers claimed that their Chinese bosses beat them with fists, whip them and kicked them with heavy safety boots but they had to stomach in to keep their jobs.
MCTU Secretary General Pontius Elijah Kalichero said in a statement made available to Nyasa Times on Friday that that much as the union appreciates the work that the Chinese construction company Anghui Foreign Economic Construction Company is doing, there is no justification in denying workers to access toilets, beating them and not giving them first aid when injured.
“Trade union rights are human rights which have to be respected at all cost,” reads the MCTU statement.
MCTU is also asking national stadium site managers to support the cause and has asked government to take the matter seriously “as its silence on bad working conditions and worker’s rights will be ominous and disheartening.”
The Chinese signed an agreement with Malawi government to build a new state-of-the-art national stadium at an estimated cost of US$70 million.
Under the terms of the agreement, the Asian nation will provide a concessional to be repaid in 20 years.
Construction of the new stadium, with a 40 000 capacity, is expected to be completed by end of 2014.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :