SUFIAW SET TO GO ON STRIKE AT FIRST NATIONAL BANK (FNB)

Workers at the Workers Day rally in BigBend on 1st May 2023

Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze

The Swaziland Union of Financial Institutions and Allied Workers (SUFIAW) is preparing to go on strike action against the First National Bank (FNB). The strike has been set to take off on Friday the 20th October 2023 in all FNB branches in the country.

The strike action comes after failed negotiations between the bank and SUFIAW on key demands related to this year's salary increment and working conditions for workers of the bank. According to the Secretary General of the SUFIAW Jabulile Shiba the two parties are slugging it out after failing to reach a compromise at wage negotiations whereby the union is at 8.5% while the FNB management is at 5.85% and because the bank refuses to offer favourable working conditions for its employees,the workers.

SG Shiba added that pat of the hardships faced by the workers at FNB is the issue that FNB ,against the norm practiced by other banks, insists on charging their employees charges such as the establishment charges when they apply for loans. "FNB workers enjoy no benefits of being employees of the bank when accessing their services and they simply refuse to appreciate the incomparable hardships they have subjected our members to" added SG Jabu Shiba.

Efforts to contact the FNB's communications team have been unsuccessful so far.

It is worth noting that even though the notice of a strike action has been issued by SUFIAW the FNB and SUFIAW may still manage to settle and agree between now and the 20th October if they agree to engage further and find one another in negotiations. They can also seek third party mediation in order to find common ground.

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