Abstract

Trade unions have operated in Malawi for sometime since the colonial era. They have operated under various political systems. There have been problems associated with the running and operations of various unions that have led to problems of operational efficiency and effectiveness of trade unions in Malawi. Although a number of studies and researches have been conducted on various aspects of trade unions, not much has been done specifically focusing on performance of trade unions in Malawi. The purpose of the study is to assess the performance of trade unions in Malawi. The study focused on all organizations that have registered trade unions in Malawi. There are two main local registered trade union federations in Malawi. These are Malawi Congress of Trade Union (MCTU) and Congress of Malawi Trade Union (COMATU). MCTU has 16 affiliate trade unions while COMATU has six affiliate trade unions. With the inclusion of the two trade union federations, there are 24 registered trade unions in Malawi. A sample of 10 registered trade unions was drawn through stratified random sampling method. The sample was stratified by federation. Therefore, the sample comprised seven affiliate trade unions from MCTU and three affiliate unions from COMATU. One of the major findings of this study is that trade unions in Malawi have not adequately met the needs of employees. From the data collected, the study established roles of trade unions and how they can be achieved as perceived by trade unions themselves and other stakeholders. The study has also identified some of the problems affecting trade unions. In addition, it has further come up with proposed strategies to improve the performance of trade unions in Malawi. Some of the main recommendations for trade unions to improve their performance are: improvement on fundraising to establish a sustainable financial base; improvement on marketing for increased membership; training and capacity building of union leaders and members; creation of permanent secretariat; improvement of relationship among union leaders and members; and trade unions should exercise good governance by abiding to and complying with the provision of their constitutions.

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School	: School of Law, Economics and Government
Issued Date	: 2008

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