Eswatini Labour Insight

  Workers listening to leaders speeches (file Picture) Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze A strike action that had run for close to a full month at agriculture plantation Crooks Limited recently ended with an agreement between the company and workers organised under the Swaziland  Agricultural  ,Plantations And Allied Workers Union (SAPWU).  The strike action came after protracted negotiations that were threatening to spill over a new financial year. The end of the strike ,according to the SAPWU President Malungisa Dlamini ,came after intervention efforts by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. Amongst the issues agreed by the two parties were the following; 6.5% salary increase backdated to April 2023. Increase in education allowance from E1,800.00 to E1,900.00. increase in food rations for cane cutters from four (4) rations per month to six (6) rations. Freedom to take leave when needs arise instead of only being allowed to take leave at scheduled periods (at emp...

The new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the ENPF Ms Futhi Tembe Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze The acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF) Ms Futhi Tembe has been appointed as the substantive CEO of the ENPF according to the state broadcaster, the Eswatini National Broadcasting Services (EBIS). This announcement ,according to the EBIS, was made by the Minister of Labour and Social Security Phila Buthelezi today 22April 2024.  Ms Tembe previously occupied the position of General Manager Business Development and Finance at the fund before her appointment as the acting CEO in November 2023 when the former CEO Prince Lonkhokhela was appointed into Parliament and later appointed as Minister of Mineral Resources. Her appointment is likely to bring stability and certainty to the ENPF in a year where the fund marks 50 years of existence. The fund was established through a King's proclamation in 1974. Celebrations marking the 50 year milestone are...

The ENPF Logo (Sourced online) Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze  The International Social Security Association (ISSA) is set to host a seminar in Eswatini on 22 to 24 April 2024.  The seminar is categorised as a technical seminar, and it will deal with Preventing fraud, Strengthening Compliance, and Improving Contributions Collections.  According to the ISSA website (issa.int) the seminar will be organised in conjunction with the ISSA Liason Officer of Southern Africa and hosted by the Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF). The ENPF is a member (affiliate) organisation of the ISSA. Other Eswatini member organisations of the ISSA are the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund , the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF). The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare as well as the Financial Services Regulatory Authority are listed as associate members on the ISSA website. It was reported on the ISSA website that the seminar is targeting African member organisations of the ISSA as well as invi...

NAWUSHI EMBLEM   Workers who are mostly lecturers at the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT) have engaged on a strike action after failing to reach common ground with the employer, the LUCT Management. According to the Times of Eswatini (04/04/2024) workers declared that they had engaged to the point of involving the Minster of education and Training Owen Nxumalo who according the interviewed unnamed worker had urged parties to go back to negotiations to no avail on the side of the employer who ignore proposals for meetings from workers. According to correspondence in the possession of the ELI the representative trade union the National Workers Union in Swaziland Higher Institutions (NAWUSHI) had made the following demands in May 2023 to the LUCT. 1. COLA of 7% 2. Notching (which according to NAWUSHI was last carried out in 2017) 3. Salary Review 4. Allowances for faculty management structure positions, expatriate allowance, housing allowance, LEAP coordinator allow...