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PSU's AND THE ESWATINI GOVERNMENT GO BACK TO PRINCIPALS TO RENEW MANDATES

PSU leaders at the JNF (picture credit: The SNAT Platform)

After holding marathon meetings from Thursday 9th to Friday 10th October 2025 the Joint Negotiations Forum (JNF) parties, namely the Eswatini Government Negotiations Team (GNT)and the Public Service Unions (PSUs) took a break of a few days to allow the two parties to refresh their mandates with their principals. 

It is expected that the government negotiations team will consult with the cabinet of ministers on Tuesday 14th October 2025. In the same vein it is expected that the PSUs will conduct a report back and renewal of mandate process through a Joint General Council of all the PSUs on the same day, Tuesday 14th October 2025.

The week that ended on 10th October 2025 was an eventful week for the public service collective bargaining. It swing into high gear from Monday 6th October with a well attended joint public service mass meeting at the SNAT Center in Manzini. In the joint public service mass meeting the salary report and jobs grading report was presented to members of the PSUs. The joint mass meeting thereafter ,amongst several resolutions, resolved that public service workers would congregate in Mbabane on Wednesday 8th October 2025 to protest against the GNT and deliver a petition at the office of the Prime Minister. This protest was also to coincide with the sitting of the JNF.

 On Wednesday 8th October 2025 thousands of public service workers congregated in Mbabane for their protest and petition delivery.

PSU members delivering the petition at the Prime Minister's Office in Mbabane on Wednesday 8th October 2025 (Picture credit: The SNAT Platform)

On Thursday 9th October a joint general council of the PSUs was convened to report back on the Wednesday 8th October deliberations at the JNF. JNF Negotiations resumed in the Thursday 9th October 2025 in the afternoon until late into the night. The JNF also continued on Friday 10th October 2025.

According to a report made by the PSUs on the social media pages of the different PSUs on Friday 10th October the borne of contention was the issue related to the notching in the new salary structure wherein it had been recommended by the consultant that all public service workers ought to be started on the first notch of their salary grades at the implementation of the salary review. The PSUs on the other hand reported that their perspective was that the workers ought to be placed on the same notch that they currently occupy in order to realise the full promised percentage. 

The PSUs further reported that contrary to information shared previously to the effect that the government intended to spend E1.29B to implement the review, actually the government was going to spend around E800M to implement the exercises. SNAT President Mbongwa Dlamini said "When the calculations were unpacked it was revealed that the full figure is rather E800million".

President Mbongwa continued to explain that there a two scenario implementation plan that sought to implement a notch to notch transition for grades A to D1 where the recommended percentage were not as high as the those from D2 upward. The president continued reporting that the once off  proposed for pay levels A and B would remain at the 5%. From pay level C upwards the housing allowance due was deferred to July 2026 except for 50% so as to fund the once off for grades A and B. Or Full implementation of the report but with once off for A and B. He lastly announced that allowances can be deferred to the second phase of the implementation.

The PSUs further reported that they had proposed to the Eswatini Government for the government to put on hold the running of salaries until the meeting on Wednesday 15th October 2025.

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