WORKERS WILL GIVE NO BLANK CHEQUE TO POLITICAL PARTIES SAYS TUCOSWA SECRETARY GENERAL MDUDUZI GINA

Picture: TUCOSWA Secretary General Mduduzi Gina (holding microphone) addressing the  workers day rally at Mayaluka in the east of Eswatini.

Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze

Making his address to the 30 000 plus workers gathered at the Workers Day 2023 rally at Mayaluka Stadium in Bigbend the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) Secretary General Mduduzi Gina declared that even though workers are fully involved in the struggle for attainment of a fully democratic Eswatini (together with the rest of the MDM) they will however not grant political parties a blank cheque to govern to the disadvantage of workers but workers support the struggle for democracy on the understanding that they will get better conditions of work in the democratic dispensation.

The Secretary General also emphasised to workers not to outsource the struggle for the attainment of democracy as it needed them to be fully involved. He added that the struggle for democracy is a legitimate struggle for workers. He said "Comrades let us go and influence the democracy project. Comrades must identify themselves with those who are seeking a democratic order so that on the other side of democracy those who govern are not people who continue to trample on workers rights. We should not have a situation whereby beyond democracy organisations that will govern will be worse than Tinkhundla". He further said it was important to tell the political parties from the onset what workers expect from them when they govern. 

Pictured Above: Workers from all around the country listening to speeches by leaders

Workers involvement in political struggles

Secretary General Gina also declared to the May day rally that TUCOSWA had carefully selected the 2023 theme of workers day "Workers in Pursuit of Fundamental Rights, Freedom and Democracy". The theme according to Gina chosen because TUCOSWA was of the thinking that it was important for workers to be involved in the struggle for democracy.  In furthering this this point he pointed out that countries without democracy have certain tendencies such as dispatching their armed forces to violently brutalise workers when they demand their rights from employers ,not properly funding public institutions such as UNESWA where evidence points  that the whole conflict was primarily because government is refusing to release funds to UNESWA. Thirdly, countries without democracy are countries where the right to assembly can be summarily withdrawn such as done by the Eswatini state and replaced by a low key state of emergency without any form of announcement. Fourthly, he mentioned that countries without democracy have a tendency to arrest those who have dissenting views politically such as MPs Mthandeni Dube and Bacede Mabuza.

Working Class Philosophy

Secretary General Gina ,further, used his address on the day to announce that in its last congress TUCOSWA  had taken a resolution to conduct workers education across affiliate unions on Working Class Philosophy. He placed hope that the working class philosophy programme will enable workers to be able to see who their friends are and who their enemies are amongst the political parties. These workers education programmes according to the Secretary General were going to be conducted as widely as possible in all affiliate trade unions and in corners where workers are located.

                                          

Picture: Workers at the TUCOSWA Workers day rally at Mayaluka