Times Of Swaziland: 300 GUARDS PETITION FIDELITY

300 GUARDS PETITION FIDELITY
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BY STANLEY KHUMALO on 26/03/2019 00:23:00


MATSAPHA – Fed up!  This best describes the emotions that engulfed members of
the Swaziland Amalgamated Trade Unions (SATU) towards one of the security
companies in the country.
Yesterday, about 300 members of the organisation petitioned Fidelity Security
Services (Pty) Ltd.
The title of the petition that was delivered by SATU was titled ‘Undermining
of workers’ rights to freedom of association and assembly’.
Reading and delivering the petition was Frank Mncina, who is the Secretary
General of SATU and it was received and signed by Fidelity Security Services
(Pty) Ltd Human Resource Manager, Lindumuzi Ntuli.
The petition demands that Fidelity Security Services (Pty) Ltd should stop with
immediate effect the alleged onslaught and gross disrespect for the fundamental
workers rights to freedom of association and assembly as enshrined in Section 32
of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini’.
It further calls on the security service provider to stop with immediate effect
the alleged intimidation of workers subscribing to the union while also
demanding that the security company stops with immediate effect the alleged
labour rights violation.
Another demand advanced by SATU was that the security services provider respects
the rights of the union to organise and represent workers while also demanding
that Fidelity Security Services (Pty) Ltd commits itself in writing that it
shall address these demands within seven working days from the receipt of the
petition.
The over 300 security guards, who were singing political songs aligned to the
fight for freedom during the apartheid era in the Republic of South Africa,
informed Ntuli that failure to adhere to the demands that were presented by the
union would result in SATU embarking on a number of campaigns.
Mobilising
“Mobilising our sister unions locally and internationally to put pressure on
Fidelity Security Services (Pty) Ltd to respect the rights of workers in
Eswatini,” said the union.
SATU further said it would put pressure on current and potential clients of the
security firm not to enlist its services until they respected workers’ rights
while also calling upon the citizenry to boycott all business entities where
Fidelity Security Services (Pty) Ltd rendered services.