Eswatini Labour Insight

SNAT President Mbongwa  Dlamini (picture sourced from SNAT social media platform) Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze The President of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Mbongwa Ernest Dlamini was recently confirmed as a delegate and therefore will attend the upcoming 2024 International Labour Organisation's (ILO) International Labour Conference (ILC) that will takes place in Geneva ,Switzerland in June 2024.  The announcement about the president attending the ILC was made by the Secretary General of the SNAT in Mbabane on Thursday 28th March 2024 while speaking on SNAT's social media platform with SNAT Editor Mcolisi Motsa.  President Mbongwa has been accredited as a delegate to attend the ILC as a delegate of the Education International (EI) the educators global trade union where the SNAT is an affiliate together with 386 other educators trade unions around the globe.  It is expected that the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) the labour feder...

SNAT President Mbongwa Dlamini speaking to members and supporters outside the Industrial Court in Mbabane on Thursday 24th March 2024. (Picture credit: SNAT Social Media Platforms) Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze The Industrial Court of Eswatini on 21st March 2024 ruled that the decision to dismiss  the President of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) was null and void. The presiding Judge in the matter Manene M. Thwala ruled that the chairperson of the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) disciplinary hearing had "failed to exercise his discretion judicially" when they disregarded President Mbongwa's lawyer Lucky Howe's request for a postponement of the hearing. It had been argued that Mr Lucky Howe had requested a postponement of the matter when he faced indisposition due to an unfortunate bereavement of a close family member who resided in South Africa during the course of the hearing in August 2023. The TSC disciplinary committee chairperson had howev...

The logo of the ENPF (sourced online) Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze The premier social security scheme in Eswatini the Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF) is turning 50 years in in August 2024. It was formed in August 1974. In marking the 50 year anniversary the ENPF through its social media platforms are releasing bits and pieces of information about the early days of the ENPF. According to the information provided the establishment of the ENPF was sealed on the 30th August 1974 when then head of state King Sobhuza II assented to the Kings Order in Council establishing the ENPF (then the Swaziland National Provident Fund or SNPF). ENPF storyline of its history (sourced from ENPF social media channels) More interesting facts that have been shared by the ENPF have been that the ENPF was established with a E100 000 injection by the government of the day, the fact that the first statutory contribution from the ENPF was E10.00 and it was received in 1976 and that the first benefits amo...

SNAT President Mbongwa Dlamini (picture sources from Mbongwa's social media account) Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze Following the allegations that were printed in one of the daily newspapers insinuating that the insistence of continued participation of SNAT President Mbongwa Dlamini to attend Joint Negotiations Forum (JNF) while government doesn't want him to is causing a delay in the conduct of negotiations between the government of Eswatini and public service unions. The newspaper article while quoting some faceless public service workers commenting on the issue ,however could not feature an interview with the government confirming their refusal to take part in negotiations as long as President Mbongwa continued to regarding the issue of the President of the educators union ,the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) ,Mbongwa was stalling negotiations the leadership of SNAT convened a media briefing on Wednesday 14th March 2024 to clarify the issue.  In clarifying t...

UNESWA Emblem (Sourced online) Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze On Tuesday 5th March 2024 the Industrial Court of Eswatini ruled in favour of the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) in their application to have the action of the two recognised unions ,ALAAP and NAWUSHI , be declared unlawful. ALAAP is the Association of Academic and Administrative Personnel while  NAWUSHI is the National Workers Union in Swaziland Higher Institutions.  The application had been launched by UNESWA in response to protests by the two unions in the days leading to the court process. The university had submitted three prayers to the court, to get the two unions and members to abandon their work boycott, to interdict members of ALAAP and NAWUSHI from calling for the resignation of the UNESWA Managements and to ask the curt to give them permission to derecognise the two unions. The court ordered that members of ALAAP as well as NAWUSHI were indicted from further participating in the work stoppage that had co...

  Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) logo Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze Eswatini's power utility public enterprise the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) has recently announced that it was going to effect a 8.02% increase in electricity tariffs ,a second increase since the Eswatini Energy Regulator Authority (ESERA),through a February 2023 Tariff Order, approved a multi year tariff increase in electricity. The EEC ,according to the 2023 tariff order, had applied to have a tariff increase of 21.4% for each year of 2023/24 and 2004/25.  When the ESERA conducted stakeholders around the four regions of Eswatini the tariff increase application was roundly rejected by various stakeholders with reasons such as unaffordability of electricity, high rates of unemployment and increased cost of business. In February 2023 however the ESERA granted the EEC tariff increases for the two years they had requested albeit giving them less than half of what they had applied for in the 10.4% and 8....

University of Eswatini logo (sourced online) Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze The under siege University of Eswatini (UNESWA) Management has taken its recognised unions, the  Association of Lecturers , Academic and Administrative Personnel (ALAAP) as well as the National Workers Union in Swaziland Higher Institutions (NAWUSHI) to the Industrial Court of Eswatini.  On 28th February 2024 the UNESWA Management filed court papers at the Industrial Court of Eswatini with several prayers. Firstly they sought to interdict leaders and members of ALAAP from  continuing with their work stoppage wherein they have publicly declared that they are demanding the resignation of UNESWA's Management as well as insisting that the payment of outstanding medical aid and pension remittances ought to happen first before they can return to work.  Further, UNESWA seeks to interdict leaders, members and all who fall within the bargaining of the two worker organisations from calling on the manage...