Eswatini Labour Insight

  TUCOSWA President Bheki Mamba invited to attend the Summit for Democracy TUCOSWA President Bheki Mamba (with clenched fist and microphone) Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze The President of the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) Bheki Mamba has been invited to partake in the conference called the Summit for Democracy  that will take place in Lusaka Zambia from the 29th to the 30th March 2023. This March 2023 summit  is a second edition of this gathering and will be co-hosted by the United States of America (USA) government  in conjunction with governments of countries such as Costa Rica, Netherlands ,South Korea and ofcourse the hosts ,the Republic of Zambia. The summit organisers have invited 120 government leaders from around the world according to a 22March 2023 USA Department of State statement  The summit's keynote address will be made by the Vice President of the USA Ms Kamala Harris and the purpose of the summit has been stated as to Strengthen Democratic Institutions

  Picture: UNESWA Emblem UNESWA TAKES UNIONS TO COURT SEEKING TO LOCK STRIKING WORKERS OUT OF THE UNIVERSITY GATES AS STRIKE CONTINUES The under siege University of Eswatini (UNESWA) whose workers are on a pay strike action since the 8th March 2023 has made an urgent court application for the court to rule that striking Association of Lecturers Academic and Administrative Personnel (ALAAP) and National Workers Union in Swaziland Higher Institutions (NAWUSHI) members be condemned to at least fifty (50) metres away from any UNESWA premises. In his affidavit submitted to the Industrial Court, the UNESWA Registrar Dr Salebona S. Simelane submitted an affidavit where he summitted to the court that members of ALAAP and NAWUSHI  are acting in a disorderly fashion calculated to disrupt by physical force the operations of UNESWA.  In substantiating his submission Dr Simelane accused ALAAP and NAWUSHI striking members of acts such as blocking the main entrance of the University. To strengthen hi

  SNAT President and other Eswatini trade unionists face the brunt of state brutality Picture above: SNAT President Mbongwa Dlamini Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze The Eswatini Government led by absolute monarch King Mswati III is desperately fighting off unprecedented political pressure, driven by a popular call for the adoption of a pluralist democratic political order that guarantees political freedoms. Trade union leaders such as the President of the teachers union, the Swaziland national Association of Teachers (SNAT) Mbongwa Dlamini have come to be overt targets for state sponsored suppression manoeuvres. The popular call for democracy stands in sharp contrast with the current Eswatini political (Tinkhundla) set up where the rights of the citizens to pursue their political interests through political parties, for instance, are not permitted. Instead the monarch enjoys overwhelming powers and control as he appoints the cabinet, the judiciary as well as significant sections of the

  Executive Board Resolution on Eswatini 17th March 2023 The Education International (EI) Executive Board has reaffirmed EI’s unwavering solidarity and support for the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), its leadership and members. The Education International Executive Board, meeting online on 14-16 March 2023, 1. Concerned that the Government of Eswatini continues to violate trade union rights, and in particular curtails the rights and autonomy of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT); 2. Concerned that SNAT is prevented from engaging effectively with the Government on all matters pertaining to the welfare, training, and retention of teaching personnel; 3. Reaffirms EI’s unwavering solidarity and support for SNAT, its leadership and members. The Executive Board urges the Government of Eswatini to: 4. Respect and protect the fundamental rights of workers and trade unionists, including the right to freedom of association, collective bargaining, and peacefu

  ALAAP AND NAWUSHI JOIN FORCES AT UNESWA INDUSTRIAL ACTION DEMANDING SALARY NOTCHES   NAWUSHI AND ALAAP MEMBERS IN ACTION AT UNESWA  The premier university in the country ,the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) experienced a fully blown strike action on Monday 20 th March 2023 when the larger section of its workforce organised in the National Workers Union in Swaziland Higher Institutions (NAWUSHI) joined the legal strike action that was already underway courtesy of their sister union, the Association of Lecturers, Academic And Administrative Personnel (ALAAP). ALAAP had kicked off their strike action on the 8 th March 2023. NAWUSHI was delayed in joining the action by close to two weeks because they were still dealing with the legal preparation for the action, including conducting a ballot of workers who agree to go on strike. The   ballot was eventually conducted on the 15 th March 2023 and   results were such that out of a total of   two hundred and fifty five (255) votes th

  Above Pictures:  SWATCAWU General Secretary Cde Sticks Nkambule Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze Sticks Nkambule is the General Secretary of the Swaziland Transport, Communications and Allied Workers Union (SWATCAWU). He has served workers  in the transport sector through the Swaziland Transport and Allied Workers Union (STAWU) where he started out as an official . I n 2017, STAWU, merged with  Private  & Public Swaziland  Transport Workers Union (P&PSTWU) to create a unified transport and communications  union, SWATCAWU. The communications union Swaziland Communications Workers Union (SCWU) in the end relented and hence did not form part of SWATCAWU. A story for another day.   In the year 2022,challenges faced by public transport service workers, and other transport workers in other sections of the sector, were brought to the fore when SWATCAWU held several protest actions and several highly successful stayaway actions ,the last of whom took place on the 13th in December 2022