Sucre Ethique - Mozambique : Labour Inspectors Suspend "Illegal" Workers

mercredi 24 février 2010

Maputo — Mozambican labour inspectors have ordered the suspension of the contracts of 87 foreigners found to be working illegally at the Maragra sugar plantation, in Manhica district, about 80 kilometres north of Maputo

According to a Labour Ministry press release, the foreigners (whose nationalities were not revealed) were working on the rehabilitation of the Maragra sugar mill and an expansion of its capacity.

Apparently the 87 had been working at Maragra since October, but the company, owned by the South African Illovo Group, had not informed the Maputo Provincial Labour Directorate of their recruitment, which it was obliged to do under Mozambican labour legislation.The workers were hired through the Mauritian company Emineo, and through Industrial Control and Automation and Bosch, both in South Africa.

In addition to suspending the foreign workers, the Labour Inspectorate also fined Maragra, but the release did not state the size of the fine.

The Labour Ministry has also rejected a request by Daviz Simango, mayor of Beira, for an additional Beira municipal holiday. Simango wanted the give the entire city the day off next Friday, to celebrate a municipal carnival.

Labour minister Helena Taipo said that the pretext for an extra holiday was "not convincing", since there is no good reason to halt productive activity just because of a carnival.

Other than the handful of national public holidays, days off work are sometime granted for religious reasons (E.g. Good Friday for Christians and Eid-ul-Fitra for Moslems), or to celebrate the anniversary of the foundation of a city or town. The Beira request did not fit into any of these categories.

Taipo noted that other cities sometimes held carnivals - but they usually did so at weekends, to prevent unnecessary interruptions to production.