Malawi has confirmed that 12 of its farm workers in Israel who were arrested last week for leaving their duty stations have since been deported back to the country for breach of contract.
Malawi’s Minister of Information and Digitization, Moses Kunkuyu, said that the Malawi Embassy in Tel Aviv noted that the workers had valid visas and contracts to work on specific farms in the Israeli agricultural sector.
“However, they abandoned their lawful employment at the farms to start working at a bakery,” said Kunkuyu in a statement on Tuesday.
The 12 workers were among 45 foreign workers who were arrested while working at a confectionary factory in Tel Aviv last week. They were arraigned in prison waiting for deportation.
Workers arrived
“It’s an offence under Israeli law for a foreign worker holding a specific visa/work permit and contract to change jobs without following the necessary procedures,” Kunkuyu said.
He said four of the deported workers arrived in Malawi on Tuesday, while the remaining eight workers are expected back home on Wednesday.
Malawi has since cautioned those who choose to go and work in Israel “that a breach of contract will not be tolerated.”
“The Malawi government is calling upon all Malawian migrant workers in Israel to desist from such behavior, as it puts this country into disrepute. Such behavior may also reduce employment opportunities of the individuals concerned,” Kunkuyu said.
Labour deal
Thousands of unskilled Malawian workers have been working in Israel since 2023 through private labor agents.
But in April this year, Malawi’s parliament passed a resolution to review the Malawi-Israel labour agreement and recommended a new formal government deal “that will ensure more benefits for workers.”
About three weeks ago, Malawi and Israel signed a labour agreement in Tel Aviv that would see about 3,000 unskilled Malawian workers airlifted to Israel to work on its farms and in its industries.
The country’s finance ministry said the move would help boost Malawi’s foreign exchange reserves, which have been at their lowest levels in recent years.
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