Skip to main content

Public Transport Workers vow to take it up a notch in the future if their demands continue being ignored by authorities.

 Transport workers vow to take it up a notch if demands continue being ignored

From the 12th October 2021 transport workers ,mainly the drivers and assistants of minibus transport , have been engaged in industrial action over a range of issues. The action was directed at the government ,the police and the owners of the minibuses, their employers and it was finally called off on Thursday 21 October.

The Swazi Labour Insight (SLI) caught up with the Secretary General of the Swaziland Transport, Communications and Allied Workers Union (SWATCAWU) Comrade Stix Nkhambule (pictured below) to help the rest of us to appreciate their objectives when they engaged in the industrial action, their achievements in the action and what they intend to do going forward. 

       SWATCAWU Secretary General Comrade Stix Nkhambule (Picture courtesy of Times of eSwatini Facebook page)

1. Swazi Labour Insight :Thank you for taking the time to talk to us Comrade Secretary General

Stix Nkhambule (SN): My pleasure Comrade.

2. SLI: To start with how many signed up members does SWATCAWU have on its books amongst the public transport sector Comrades?

SN: We currently have a signed up membership of above 2674

3. SLI: What are the key grievances that led the public transport sector workers to the industrial action in the past eight days?

SN:    The issues were are as follows

  •  Release of incarcerated Members of Parliament ( Honourable Mthandeni Dube and Honourable Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza)
  • End to the persecution of MP Honourable Mduduzi Gawzela Simelane
  • Democratic reforms towards a peoples government
  • E4000.00 minimum wage
  • End to police harassment and brutality to transport workers while carrying out their duties
  • Full compliance to statutory regulations on working conditions
4. SLI: We witnessed scenes of extreme violence metered on public transport workers by the state ,what is the state of casualties so far?
SN: This is an ongoing assessment ,to date we have 10 state brutality casualties and one case of death.


     Above pictures: Transport workers protest action in the town of Malkerns on Tuesday 12th October 2021.

5. SLI: To what extent have the grievances been met by the relevant authorities?

SN: Time frame commitments have been made by the government (and employers) to attend to the grievances, there has also been a task team formed to work on the demands and there was consensus on a collaborative programme going forward.

6. SLI: What informed the announcement to ending of the strike after eight days?

SN: The willingness of the stakeholders to meaningfully engage on the issues that workers raised. However one must add that there is need for strategy shift with a clear demarcation on where government fails us. 

A consensus to go back to work was established under the auspices of the Multi Stakeholders Forum.

7. SLI: What are the future plans for public transport workers by SWATCAWU ,are there prospects for shutting down the whole transport sector in the future if the demands are not met?

SN: In the event no action on the part of the government (and the employers) is forthcoming. or no efforts are not being made to meet the workers demands  ,there are definitely  more calculated shutdown on the cards in the future.

8. SLI: Thank your for your time Cde SG

SN: My Pleasure Comrade.


                                                                            ADVERT




All Rights Reserved.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NAPSAWU HAS SUSPENDED THREE NATIONAL OFFICE BEARERS

Written by Staff Reporter The National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) National General Council (NGC) ,on Thursday 15 th February 2024, suspended three of its National Office Bearers (NOBs), two of whom are believed to be principal officers. Principal Officers number up to three in trade unions and are the President, General Secretary and the Treasurer. The suspension of two of them may therefore demonstrate the seriousness of the matter just barely six months since the current NOBS took office in August 2023. The suspension of the trio is reported to have come after it had been discovered that they were one way or another involved in alleged misappropriation of undisclosed NAPSAWU funds believed to  amounting to more than one hundred thousand and seventy thousands (more than E170 000) emalangeni. The funds according to reliable sources are believed to have been approved funds for union activities but were later discovered to have been diverted into pers...
Post a Comment
Read more

The history of Swaziland Labour Law

1.    THE HISTRORY OF SWAZI LABOUR LAW – BY NATHI GUMEDE It is difficult to proceed with issues of individual and collective Swazi Labour law without outlining the key events in the history of the Swazi Labour Movement. Though by no means comprehensive and very accurate, here are some events that have shaped Swazi Labour Law. 1937 – Wages Determining Proclamation 1947 – Trade Union Dispute Proclamation No 31 of 1942 1960 – F.C. Catchpole Commission on Labour Relations Socialization reports absence of trade unions 1962 – Pulp and Timber Worker’s Union established with Pan-Africanist influence as the first trade union; the union called the first strike the same year 1963 - Second Strike of the Pulp and Timber Worker’s Union spread into a National Strike (66,000 man hours). The National strike led to the formation of the Swaziland Democratic party and the Swaziland Progressive Party. The strike was thwarted by the First Battalion of Gordon Highlands from Ken...
Post a Comment
Read more

OPINION: PRIME MINISTER RUSSELL DLAMINI VS AUDITOR GENERAL TIMOTHY MATSEBULA

  Eswatini Prime Minister Russell Dlamini (L) and Auditor General Timothy Matsebula (R) during their meeting in the cabinet offices in March 2024. (Picture courtesy of Eswatini government social media platform) Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini on Thursday 6th June 2024 may have single-handedly plunged his government into its first major political crisis.  While fielding questions from the country's editors the Prime Minister was asked a question by  The Nation Magazine's Bheki Makhubu about  the audit reports from the Auditor General (AG) regarding his tenure as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA). The audits had allegedly flagged unaccounted for expenditure of E180M worth of funds and lately there a report which questioned expenditure of E30M from the NDMA.     Prime Minister's reply left his audience of journalist and cabinet ministers gasping as perhaps none were ready for i...
Post a Comment
Read more