Abstract

The study aimed at analyzing the effectiveness of collective bargaining in tea industry in Malawi. It was conducted to help bridge the existing information gap in the area of industrial relations in the African Content as noted by Budhwar (2003), Wood (2008) and Pyman et al. (2010). It was conducted in the Shire Highlands of Malawi particularly at Eastern Produce and Chitakale Tea Estates in Mulanje and Lujeli Tea Estate and Conforzi Plantations in Thyolo. The population under study was all workers in the tea industry including those in management positions and those working for Tea Association Malawi (TAML) Secretariat. It adopted a Mixed Approach Design. Systematic Random Sampling Technique was used to select 80 respondents for the questionnaire. Purposive Sampling Technique was used to select 9 participants for the in-depth interviews. Secondary data was collected from documents such as Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the Recognition Agreement, the Employment Act of Malawi 2000 and the Labour Relations Act of Malawi 1996. Quantitative data gathered was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) while qualitative data was analyzed using narrative analysis. The study, among others, established that although the process of collective bargaining in the industry is not done in good faith, it has partly improved the general working conditions in the industry. On compliance the research found that there is partial compliance to the terms that were agreed in the CBA. For example, the study found that despite having collective agreements governing wages and overtime payments, only 88.4 percent of the workers get at least the industry’s minimum wage. In terms of overtime pay, the study discovered that only 18.6 percent of the workers always get overtime pay while 32.56 percent get occasional overtime payments, whereas 48.84 percent do not receive overtime pay at all. The study observed a similar fragmental outcome regarding safety of the workers. Practically there no efforts that ensure employers comply with the agreed terms in the collective bargaining. This brings about lack of trust especially on the part of the employees. Finally factors such as economic and political influences have negatively impacted the process of collective bargaining in the industry. Based on these findings, it was concluded that CBA implementation in the tea industry is partially effective.

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School	: School of Law, Economics and Government
Issued Date	: 2022

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