Eswatini Labour Insight

Sikelela Ngwenya makes a comeback as President of NAWUSHI  Picture: Newly elected President of NAWUSHI Comrade Sikelela Ngwenya (Picture courtesy of Comrade Sikelela on Facebook) Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze Comrade Sikelela Ngwenya has made a comeback as the president of the National Workers Union in Swaziland Higher Institutions (NAWUSHI). This after getting elected to the position at their 1st quadrennial conference that took place at eSibayeni lodge in Matsapha on the 24th and 25th March 2022. To win the position comrade Sikelela beat off a stiff challenge  from Comrade Simon Dlamini from the Sebenta National Institute branch of NAWUSHI.  Comrade Sikelela is one of two  leaders of the previous NEC that were re-elected into the new NEC in the conference. The other NEC member that made it back is comrade Mpendulo Mkhonta  and he retained the position of Vice Treasurer. It is worth noting that Comrade Sikelela had previously served in the same position of...

NAPSAWU DELIVERS A PROGRESSIVE SOLIDARITY MESSAGE TO NAWUSHI ELECTIVE CONFERENCE   The National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) through its Organising Secretary Comrade Mduduzi Shabangu (Pictured above) delivered a strong solidarity message to delegates of the NAWUSHI's 1st quadrennial conference that  took place on the 24th as wee as 25th March 2022 at eSibayen Lodge in Matsapha. In his address Comrade Mduduzi first praised the leadership of NAWUSHI for always demonstrating  progressive and decisive collaborative co-existence with NAPSAWU both at TUCOSWA and Public Service International(PSI) level. NAPSAWU, NAWUSHI and SWADNU are the current affiliates of the PSI in Eswatini. Comrade Mduduzi's then went on to  highlight that there were similarities between the struggles facing NAWUSHI  as well as those facing NAPSAWU particularly because both unions organise in the public sector, where the intransigence of employers towards genuine worker dema...

  Minister of Public Service Mabulala Maseko publicly threatens the  expulsion public threat against public service workers fighting for their rights Fundizwi Sikhondze   eSwatini Public Services Minister Mabulala Maseko (L), The eSwatini Flag (R). The eSwatini Minister of Public Service Mabulala Maseko today (Tuesday 14th December 2021) issued a threat to public servants who seek to exercise their trade union and workers rights to fight for a salary review from the government of eSwatini. The Minister was speaking on the national radio station during the morning current affairs programme "Letishisako".  Maseko accused civil servants of having joined the fight for political parties and has asked them to leave the public service if they want to pursue political party related matters. The Minister promised to take drastic measures (nalo lilahle kubo or A fireball is coming their way) against civil servants who they (as government) suspect to be members of political org...

  eSwatini government moves to derecognise public sector trade unions. Fundizwi Sikhondze Pic: eSwatini Police violently dispersing 22 October 2021 PSA protest in Mbabane (Courtesy Picture) In the midst of efforts to reconcile warrying forces inside eSwatini by stakeholders such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) ,the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) to have eSwatini attain lasting peace after a year filled with civil unrest , the government is reported to be making moves to derecognise Public Sector Associations (PSAs).  This moves is definitely  set to lead to hostilities with trade unions and by extension with civil servants, the international trade union movement reminiscent of previous instances where tensions played out in the international platforms such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) meetings in Geneva. In previous occasions eSwatini temporarily lost access to the markets in the United States of America (USA) when th...

THE TRADE UNION CONGRESS OF SWAZILAND (TUCOSWA) GOING TO ITS THIRD QUADRENNIAL CONGRESS The Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) ,having being launched in March 2012 ,is going for its third national congress from the 10th to 12th November 2021 at eSibayeni Lodge, Matsapha.   The theme of the congress is "Promoting Decent Work in the midst of COVID-19 and Political Unrest" The congress shall comprise of around 146 delegates from TUCOSWA's affiliate trade unions. Current the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) is the largest TUCOSWA affiliate and shall have over 30% of delegates in the congress and this will give them considerable power in the congress in the decisions and resolutions of the congress. The National Public Service and Allied Service Workers Union (NAPSAWU) is the second biggest affiliate and as a result they shall have delegates slightly less than SNAT.  There are other trade union from the private sector such as Swaziland Agriculture and...

  TUCOSWA CALLS FOR A MASS PROTEST ON 28TH  OCTOBER 2021. The Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) has added to the troubles of the increasingly under pressure Swaziland /eSwatini state led by King Mswati lll by calling for a protest action on Thursday 28th October 2021 TUCOSWA's call comes on the hills of the country having experienced a seven day mass protest by public transport workers who brought the country to a stand still with their protests calling for ,amongst others the end to police brutality in the everyday operations of transport workers, for the release of MPs Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube and  for better working conditions in the public transport  industry. This protest led to the death of one transport worker who was shot by the police and who was buried in the past weekend of 24th October. The TUCOSWA  protest action serve as a continuation of pressure on the King Mswati regime to embrace democratic change that has been going on for mo...

  Transport workers vow to take it up a notch if demands continue being ignored From the 12th October 2021 transport workers ,mainly the drivers and assistants of minibus transport , have been engaged in industrial action over a range of issues. The action was directed at the government ,the police and the owners of the minibuses, their employers and it was finally called off on Thursday 21 October. The Swazi Labour Insight (SLI) caught up with the Secretary General of the Swaziland Transport, Communications and Allied Workers Union (SWATCAWU) Comrade Stix Nkhambule (pictured below) to help the rest of us to appreciate their objectives when they engaged in the industrial action, their achievements in the action and what they intend to do going forward.          SWATCAWU Secretary General Comrade Stix Nkhambule (Picture courtesy of Times of eSwatini Facebook page) 1. Swazi Labour Insight : Thank you for taking the time to talk to us Comrade S...