Eswatini Labour Insight

                                                        Comrade Ncamisile Dlamini ,TUCOSWA  Women Committee's 1st Deputy Chairperson and ATUSWA Treasurer General  In celebration of International Women's Day 2025 and women leaders of the trade union movement the Eswatini Labour Insight (ELI) brings you  an interview with one of the top women leaders in the country Comrade Ncamsile Dlamini.  Comrade Ncamsile currently serves  as the Treasurer General of the biggest trade union in the manufacturing sector , the Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland (ATUSWA). She also simultaneously serves as the 1st Deputy Chairperson of the TUCOSWA Women's Committee. The textile sector where comrade Ncami works in completely dominated by women labour however even as many victories have been recorded in the past comrade Ncamsile will relate some...

  Public service collective bargaining forum social partners have undergone collective bargaining and negotiating skills training Picture: The cover of the training manual for Collective Bargaining and Negotiations Skills Training (Picture courtesy of SNAT Platform) The public service collective bargaining forum , the Government Negotiations Forum (GNF), social partners recently underwent Collective Bargaining and Negotiations Skills training by the Commission of Mediation, Arbitration and Conciliation (CMAC).   The training took place in Piggs Peak. The trade unions involved in Government Negotiations Forum (GNF) are, National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU), Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), the Swaziland National Association of Government Accounts Personnel (SNAGAP) and the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT). Leaders from the unions attended the training. The Eswatini government was also represented by its official including ...

Pictured Above: Eswatini Prime Minister Russell Dlamini  On Thursday 12th September 2024, The Government of Eswatini as led by the Prime Minister Russell Dlamini presented their policy statement in Parliament in which they outlined their plans going forward. The policy statement contains twenty two (22) priority areas as follows; Fiscal Discipline and Budget Strategy ,Sustainability, Infrastructure Development, Economic Policy , Wealth Creation and Inclusive Growth ,Public Sector Management and Service Delivery, Foreign and International Relations, Tinkhundla Governance System and Development Vehicle, Energy, Education , Health and HIV/AIDS, Labour, Social Welfare and Social Security, Disaster Risk Reduction, Corruption, National Identity and Family Heritage, National Security, Agriculture, Parliament  and Judiciary. The policy statement makes daring aspirations including a prediction of economic growth that reached 12% in the next ten (10) years and interestingly makes a bold...

Asbestos damage to the human lung (image sourced online) Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze The  South Africa based Asbestos Relief Trust (ART) has reported ,through a media statement, that they have conducted tests on fifty two Eswatini Citizens (52) who are former miner workers in the year 2024. Out of the 52 tested seven (7) individuals were found  to have conditions that qualifies for compensation under the rules of the trust. The test conducted according to the media statement by the ART involved chest x-rays ,lung infection tests and clinical exams to identify those with asbestos-related diseases. The statement went further to claim that so far the ART had conducted conducted tests on more than five hundred (500) Eswatini citizens who used to work at the Bulembu/Havelock asbestos mine. ART Logo (sourced online) The ART on their website (https://asbestostrust.co.za) further explain that they were established after a process of successful litigation where an out of court settle...

  SUFIAW LOGO Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze Workers and members of the Swaziland Union of Financial Institutions and Allied Workers (SUFIAW) at Standard Bank Eswatini who are now in the second week of their nationwide strike action  have just been hit with a lockout notice by the employer. The strike action seeks to pressure the employer to pay Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) rate of 7.5% while the employer (Standard Bank) has offered SUFIAW members 5.15%. The strike started out on Tuesday 23 rd July 2024 and received wide ranging media coverage, particularly the Manzini and Mbabane branches.  On Tuesday 39 th July 20204 with the strike action set to enter its seventh day the employer through Chief Executive (CE) Mvuselelo Fakudze issued correspondence ( that we have in our possession) addressed to SUFIAW Secretary General Jabulile Shiba informing her office that they were now invoking Section 86 (9) of the Industrial relations Act (2000 as amended) to effect a lock ...

  Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze Former public service employees who are now retirees under the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF) were awarded an increment of 5% on their monthly pension annuities. The increment is effected in July 2024 and backdated to April 2024. The PSPF is the biggest pension fund in Eswatini as it boasts around E31.2billion. It caters for the needs of around 25 000 beneficiaries mad up of 10 000 principal members or beneficiaries, around 15 000 spousal as well as minors beneficiaries. It boasts of just above forty 40 000 active members who are still in service and therefore still contributing to the fund. On another note it was reported by the local daily Time of eSwatini (13-0724) that members of the Swaziland Public Service Pensioners Association (SPSPA) representing principal members to the fund has continued with their quest to reverse the transition of the PSPF from a category B public service organisation or parastatal to a category A parastatal. The...