Skip to main content

BHEKI MAMBA TO SWADNU,' CLOSE HEALTH FACILITES IF GOVERNEMNT DOES NOT BUY MEDICINE STOCK NOR HIRE HEALTH WORKERS'

 

Pictured above: TUCOSWA President Bheki Mamba (File picture)

Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze

The Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) President Bheki Mamba called for the for Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU) members to ensure that they close all health facilities if the government shows no commitment towards hiring health workers and filling vacant posts and purchasing medical drugs in public health facilities. President Bheki made these remarks while addressing a protest action to protest the lack of medicine and health workers led by SWADNU on Wednesday 30th August 2023.

President Bheki also condemned health and general government officials of doing the bidding for private health practitioners when they refer patients to purchase medicine that is not available in the government hospital to private facilities such as Mbabane Clinic. He added that the non hiring of health workers is another ploy to drive patients to the private healthcare providers that are known to be owned by the powerful at the helm of the state, who according to the president have completely taken over all canals of economy in the country even the death and burial services. 

The President explained that the shortages in the health sector infringe upon the rights of access to free health services that citizens.

Collapse of public service collective bargaining 

In his address President Bheki also condemned the Eswatini government for killing public service bargaining which he characterised as a wage taking mechanism. He added that these challenges would not be solved by going to parliament because inherently parliament creates an elite and elites would not fight for the majority of workers and their interests. He argued that the challenges faced by workers and the poor would only be solved through defying the laws of the regime.

The protest was addressed by representatives of organisations such as the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) ,the National Public Services and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) ,Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS),the Swaziland National Government Accountants Personnel (SNAGAP).the Multi Stakeholders Forum (MSF),the Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF). 

The gathering then witnessed the reading and delivery of the petition by SWADNU Secretary General Mayibongwe Masangane to the Acting Principal Secretary to the Ministry of Public Service Richard Phungwayo.

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