More trouble for Israel deported labourers: Local agents demand compensation of over K8.5m each
It has been revealed that Malawians deported from Israel for allegedly fleeing from their designated farms and sough work elsewhere are in hot soup as local employment agencies plan to take them to court to recover costs incurred.
Twelve Malawians have been deported from Israel over breach of visa terms after they left the farms where they were working, to get improved pay elsewhere, according to the Ministry of Information and Digitisation.
They were among 42 foreign workers arrested last week while working at a bakery in Tel Aviv.
The Workers for Arava Farmers, an agency whose clients are among the deportees, confirmed in an interview about considering legal action to secure the compensation.
The agency’s managing director Justice Kangulu said in a response to our questionnaire on Thursday: “They [the workers] entered into a contract which, among others, obliges them to pay back for some costs. They remain liable until they have paid back. That’s all we can say for now.”
He said under the terms of their contract those dispatched to Israel were supposed to repay funds used to pay for their visas and air tickets.
“We were supposed to deduct the repayments for a period of nine months. Thereafter, they would be free,” Kangulu said, but could not be drawn to disclose the sum of money due for repayment.
But a source familiar with the deals confided in Nyasatimes that each was expected to repay $5 000 (around K8.5 million).
“So, some of those that have been deported didn’t pay anything. They changed contact numbers after leaving the farms,” the source said.
The deportees were part of an Israeli government bid hatched last year to counter agricultural workers shortages after October’s deadly attacks on Israel by Hamas.
The attack led Israel to stop issuing permits to Palestinians to work on its farms while 10 000 migrant farm workers, mostly Thai nationals.
Meanwhile, Lions Recruitment Agency managing director Chifundo Banda said the deportees would face legal action.
He said: “We are uncertain about the number of individuals associated with the Lions Recruitment Agency.
“It is probable that there will be legal implications with the bank due to the loans they have taken.”
Our efforts to secure names of the deportees from Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Information and Digitisation did not yield results.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Charles Nkhalamba referred the matter to Ministry of Information whose line minister Moses Kunkuyu had not responded.
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Ma loans aku bank mesa amakhala ndi insurance
If those guys breached contract then am afraid nothing good will work on your favor.
Ndalamayi apeleke ndomwe anasainila panganoli cifukwatu APA anthuwa akuti samalandila ndalama yoyenera per hour monga mwa pangano.
They breached the contract I believe.minimum wage rule was not followed.
Ndi mmene akuluakulu athu ena savetsa zinthuzi cifukwa kwathu kuno ma contracts athu almost all are breached in the name of ingoteloni basi or ndimomwe takhala tikucitila.
Most people anawa or kulowa ncito kwathu kuno ndi zongoti kozekani mupite Ku office yakuti akakupatsani ncito and the one akuteloyo walumikizana ndi waku officeyo kuti ampatse desk olo slot in a cubicle kuti munthu ayamba ncito. Yoyani kayaaaa.
Now this person starts asking a mu office izi nditani, tapangani inuyo.
It’s a lot of ROT happening in our country.
Imagine someone retires and for 2 years not received their pension , the pension office number noone picks it up, or mubwere mawa , Really, this is coming from someone the pensioner taught,
Be serious guys, Malawi wa ntundu wanji uyu.
Don’t steal from the poor man .modern day slave driverz puppets
The problem of Malawian workers bring paid less than other workers from other countries hinges on lack of negotiation skills when the deals were being sealed. Even the delegation that went to Israel to seal the Labour export deal have no knowledge of labour export. People that would have assisted in such negotiations were left out of the delegation. Secondly these youngsters that have been deported should refund no one as the recruitment agencies involved were not supposed to ask them to pay in the first place. This is unethical recruitment according ILO convention number 197 to which Malawi is a signatory. At one time, the Ministry of Labour came up with a Press Release that sensitized the public against paying for foreign jobs. It is surprising that the same Ministry is associated with unethical recruitment. A good negotiated deal would have seen the employers paying for all expenses for the workers and those absconding would have been sued by the employers in Israel and jailed there. That would have deterred the workers from running away.
They were blinded at first that’s why this happened!!
ndiye akazitenga kuti ndalama zombwemzerazo
You honestly believe it cost overv$5,000 to fly somenone to israel and process their VISA? What kind of a scam is this?