Castel Malawi Limited has stressed the importance of a conducive working environment and industrial peace, noting that these factors contribute to the success of organizations.
The company’s Human Resources and Corporate Affairs Director, Gloria Zimba made the remarks during the Castel Malawi Workers Union (Camawu) Annual General Assembly in Salima over the weekend.
“As Castel Malawi, we believe that if there is industrial peace within the company, it contributes to the success of the company,” she indicated.
During the Assembly, Castel Malawi Managing Director, Thomas Reynaud painted a bright outlook for the years ahead after the turbulent business environment in the third quarter of this year due to among other things, increased road accidents for its trucks, high exchange rates and others.
“Despite all these challenges, as a company, we have had some positive outcomes. We have kept on driving hard and pushing our sales. Although we had some months of poor sales, we have had a lot of exciting months with very good sales volumes, which have been reflected in the Employee Incentive Bonus which we have been giving out every month to our employees.”
“We also managed to get the 20% excise tax from the government, for beer from the locally produced grain, like sorghum and maize clear beer. Even though, we are yet to benefit from this because we have not yet purchased any sorghum grain. Lastly, we have had a very good working relationship between management and our employees. It is my wish that this must continue for the good of Castel Malawi,” said Reynaud.
Camawu president, Reuben Kapito commended the company for prioritizing workers’ welfare, through supporting activities of the Union.
During the meeting, Zimba also implored the government through the Ministry of Finance to ensure it is impartial and transparent in implementing the newly introduced tax stamps policy on various businesses in the country.
Zimba said Castel Malawi is ready to implement the policy because it is a positive step forward, but its effectiveness hinges on equitable enforcement, as it aims to eliminate illicit products from the market.
“If this tax stamp is applied fairly to everyone, Malawi will benefit from compliant taxes and safer products in the market,” she stated.
Malawi Congress of Trade Union’s (MCTU) Educator, Marie Kambeja echoed Zimba’s views, stating the significance for regulators to ensure that the law is applied equally.
“We believe the government has introduced this policy for valid reasons, but it must be enforced impartially, not selectively,” she emphasized.
The Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has recently started enforcing use of tax stamps on various goods in the country to eliminate cases of smuggling.