Eswatini Labour Insight

Asbestos damage to the human lung (image sourced online) Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze The  South Africa based Asbestos Relief Trust (ART) has reported ,through a media statement, that they have conducted tests on fifty two Eswatini Citizens (52) who are former miner workers in the year 2024. Out of the 52 tested seven (7) individuals were found  to have conditions that qualifies for compensation under the rules of the trust. The test conducted according to the media statement by the ART involved chest x-rays ,lung infection tests and clinical exams to identify those with asbestos-related diseases. The statement went further to claim that so far the ART had conducted conducted tests on more than five hundred (500) Eswatini citizens who used to work at the Bulembu/Havelock asbestos mine. ART Logo (sourced online) The ART on their website (https://asbestostrust.co.za) further explain that they were established after a process of successful litigation where an out of court settlement was

  SUFIAW LOGO Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze Workers and members of the Swaziland Union of Financial Institutions and Allied Workers (SUFIAW) at Standard Bank Eswatini who are now in the second week of their nationwide strike action  have just been hit with a lockout notice by the employer. The strike action seeks to pressure the employer to pay Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) rate of 7.5% while the employer (Standard Bank) has offered SUFIAW members 5.15%. The strike started out on Tuesday 23 rd July 2024 and received wide ranging media coverage, particularly the Manzini and Mbabane branches.  On Tuesday 39 th July 20204 with the strike action set to enter its seventh day the employer through Chief Executive (CE) Mvuselelo Fakudze issued correspondence ( that we have in our possession) addressed to SUFIAW Secretary General Jabulile Shiba informing her office that they were now invoking Section 86 (9) of the Industrial relations Act (2000 as amended) to effect a lock out of all wor

  Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze Former public service employees who are now retirees under the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF) were awarded an increment of 5% on their monthly pension annuities. The increment is effected in July 2024 and backdated to April 2024. The PSPF is the biggest pension fund in Eswatini as it boasts around E31.2billion. It caters for the needs of around 25 000 beneficiaries mad up of 10 000 principal members or beneficiaries, around 15 000 spousal as well as minors beneficiaries. It boasts of just above forty 40 000 active members who are still in service and therefore still contributing to the fund. On another note it was reported by the local daily Time of eSwatini (13-0724) that members of the Swaziland Public Service Pensioners Association (SPSPA) representing principal members to the fund has continued with their quest to reverse the transition of the PSPF from a category B public service organisation or parastatal to a category A parastatal. They ha

  A poster depicting the image of the former MPs Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube (sourced online) Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze There has been outpouring of outrage targeted at the Government of Eswatini in the aftermath of the sentencing of the former MPs Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube who were MPs for Hosea and Ngwempisi constituencies respectively. They were sentenced on Monday 15th July in Mbabane following their conviction on terrorism and other charges largely believed to be trumped. The outrage was led by the Eswatini Embassy of the United States of America (USA)  where they categorically condemned the sentence of the two MPs. They expressed that they were, “deeply concerned by the sentencing of former MPs Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube to 25 years and 18 years respectively”. The statement continued that ,”there has been widespread reporting that their detention are arbitrary ,based on groundless charges of murder and terrorism, and that they have were t

Mbabane City Council logo (sourced online) Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze It would seem that the council of the Mbabane City are not in agreement with the Minister of Housing and Urban Development Appolo Maphalala on the appointment of Ms Gcinile Fakudze as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or Town Clerk of the City. Although Ms Fakudze is reported to come with a wealth of relevant qualifications and experience in managing municipalities having previously served in Siteki and Matsapha respectively in a similar engagement, the council in Mbabane is believed not to have preferred her as their CEO. Media reports from both newspapers in Eswatini the Weekend Observer as well as the Eswatini News have suggested that the person recommended to the minister by the city council polled third and very low in the  interview rankings carried out by the consultant engaged to do the work. The situation then gave rise to the stand off between the council and the minister where councillors incl

  File picture Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze The Eswatini public service workers represented by the Public Service Union (PSUs) have negotiated a 4% COLA for all public service workers that include health workers in public facilities, educators in public schools and workers in government offices around the country who service the public. The PSUs are made up of the following public services trade union, the National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU), the Swaziland National Government Accountants Personnel (SNAGAP), the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) and the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU). The 4% settlement came after intense negotiations between the parties wherein the PSUs had initially made a demand for 7.25% COLA while government had initially made an offer of 3% to the PSUs. This wage settlement ,while serving as a relief to public service workers who have lately had their wages supressed through receiving perennial below infla

A Doctor at the workplace (image sourced online)   Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze On Monday 01 July 2024 around a reported three hundred (300) doctors who work in Eswatini public health facilities engaged in a work-to-rule industrial action to force the government to honour their standby and on call allowances were reported to have been accumulated between the months of October 2023 and March 2024. The on call and stand by allowances are paid every six months. The doctors’ work to rule industrial action entails them not working beyond the normal daytime working hours and not attending emergencies after hours.   The doctors had given the government until the end of June 2024 to honour the on call and and standby allowance claims and when it was confirmed that by the weekend of the 29 th June the claims had not been honoured by the government the doctors to confirmed that they would go ahead with the action starting on Monday July 1 st . The Times of Eswatini (TOE) on Tuesday 02