SATU DECRY DELAYED COLA FOR SECURITY GUARDS AS NEGOTIATIONS GET UNDERWAY

Pictured Above: SATU members in a meeting (File Picture)

The daily newspaper the Times of Eswatini (7th August 2025 edition) reported that trade union ,the Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland (SATU) had expressed unhappiness at the delay in convening of the sectorial Wage Council for security guards at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. SATU through their Secretary General Frank Mncina explained that any delay in the implementation of the COLA for security guards inadvertently disadvantages them financially because the finalised COLA at the wages council is never backdated.

SG Mncina further vowed to call a nationwide protest action to deliver a petition at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to call for them to convene the wages council. At that time of the news story (7th August 20205) the finalisation of the dates of the protest action was pending preparations including letters written to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Mbabane City Council, the Royal Eswatini Police Service as well as transport preparations for members.

The Wages Councils of the different industries are convened by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security in accordance with the Wages Order Act of 1963.

In the Times of Eswatini (07-08-2025 edition) article the Acting Labour Commissioner Kingdom Mamba had responded to SATU by stating that as a ministry they are guided by availability of funds from the national budget to run the wage councils. He further explained that these funds pay for the sitting allowances, transport and refreshments for the gazetted participants of the wages councils. He said, "If we start earlier than April we risk not paying sitting allowances to the wage council members since there would be no budget".

It has since been confirmed on the 28th August 2025 by the SATU Secretary General of SATU Frank Mncina that the Wages Council has since been convened by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to sit on the first week of September 2025.

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