Bitter cries from Israel

By Cathy Maulidi:

It is not all milk and honey for some of Malawian migrant workers in Israel.

The workers are pushing their recruitment agencies to take their hands off their salaries, describing their situation as modern day slavery.

The workers have told Malawi News that their recruitment agents have told them that they received their December salaries and claim to have sent the money to Malawi.

The workers say they have no evidence of this because the money the agents claim to have sent is not reflected in their Malawian accounts.

“We are working in the farms and yes of course this is the type of work we expected though it is hard labour. It is sad to do this hard work and at the end of the month, someone who did no work comes to receive your salary and starts controlling it,” said one of the migrant workers who did not want to be named for fear of repercussions.

The workers whom Malawi News has spoken with doubt if the agents have indeed deposited their salaries in their accounts held in Malawi.

“The agents received our salaries on 9th January and gave us 10 percent of the salaries. They said they will transfer the rest to our accounts in Malawi. We have been checking the balances. The money isn’t reflecting in our accounts. This raises questions because money transfer to Malawi from here doesn’t take that long,” said one of the workers.

With regard to the 10 percent some have been given, the workers say it is not enough as life is very expensive in Israeli.

The workers said in the first place, they did not expect their salaries to be received by the agents since they are the ones working and not the agents.

“When we were in Malawi, we were so excited to hear that we will be getting 5,000 shekels which is about K3 million and that just part of it would be sent home to our local accounts.

“We didn’t know how expensive life in Israel is.

The situation on the ground is dire. Israel is an expensive country and the 10 percent we got from the agents can’t take us through the entire month,” said one migrant worker.

They said the agents themselves know how expensive life is in Israel.

“Why are they doing this to us? They know we can’t survive here with the money they are giving us because the 10 percent we are getting is an equivalent of K300,000 which is peanuts here.

“For example, 1kg of beef in Israeli costs an equivalent of K55,000 back home. Things are very expensive here. Ask the agents they will tell you if they are honest,” said the worker.

According one source, there is a section of workers who haven’t even been paid the 10 percent, forcing them to live as paupers in a foreign country.

Another group we talked to claimed that some 10 workers have fled their estate to search for other jobs that are not controlled by the agents or government.

“Yes this is risky, we can be arrested if caught but we can’t afford to be used like slaves,” said one of them.

The workers are appealing to the government and their agents, to take their hands off their salaries describing what is happening as modern-day slavery.

“We are so disappointed with what is happening. We do not want to be used as a tool for the government to generate forex. We want to enjoy our salaries just like all other employees around the world.

“We will appreciate if government would let us have our salaries here in Israel. We are not the first people to travel and work outside the country. Working in a foreign country where your salary is being sent to your home country, is that not slavery?” wondered one employee.

While this is happening in other estates, other workers in other estates are smiling as their employers have refused to pay the agents their salaries opting to pay the workers directly.

“We are happy that our bosses have paid us directly and we were able to send some money home. It didn’t take long to appear in our Malawi accounts. We feel for our colleagues in other estates who are facing this exploitation,” said one employee.

One of the agents who is also managing director for Lions Recruitment Agency Chifundo Banda declined to comment on the matter.

But in an interview last month when the workers were protesting plans to have their salaries pass through agents, Banda said the workers should learn to use proper channels to report their grievances and not media.

“They should know proper channels to use to lodge their complaints. In addition to that they knew before going there that part of their salaries would be sent to Malawi to help the country’s forex situation so they shouldn’t be surprised now.

“The agents want to help with swift transfer of the money to Malawi because they can’t do it on their own. We are a reputable institution, we can’t steal their money,” Banda said.

Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Labour Wezi Kayira has faulted the workers for taking their issues to the media instead of their main employer which is the government.

“I’m surprised why they are talking to the media when it’s government that sent them there. They should report to Ministry of Labour. I’m further surprised because they went through an orientation where they were told that part of their salaries will be sent to their Malawi accounts to service the loan they took for air tickets and for keeping, so that they should get somewhere to start from when they come back,” Kayira said.

Commenting on those who are absconding Kayira said: “Those are the risks that are in programs like these. These programs can’t be 100 percent problems free. We expected such problems but we will deal with these risks. They should be mindful that that’s not their country and there may be grave consequences. They risk their visas being cancelled and they can be arrested.”

In November last year, Malawi sent out hundreds of youths to work in farms in Israel.

The deal was initially shrouded in secrecy until government released a statement clarifying its involvement.

Early in December, Minister of Information Moses Kunkuyu and Minister of Labour Agnes Nyalonje addressed the press in Lilongwe where they admitted that recruitment of the initial batch of about 200 migrant workers breached procedures.