Times Of Swaziland: REMOVE PEU ACT ON PARASTATALS – UNIONS PETITION

REMOVE PEU ACT ON PARASTATALS – UNIONS PETITION
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Nhlanganiso Mkhonta on 07/10/2022 06:33:00


MBABANE – Three trade unions collectively organised under the umbrella of
Public Service International (PSI) yesterday delivered a petition calling upon
the removal of the PEU Act on parastatals.
These unions were the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), National
Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) and the National Workers Union
in Swaziland Higher Institutions (NAWUSHI). The petition was delivered yesterday
to the Ministry of Public Service.
They were joined by their counterpart, the Swaziland National Association of
Teachers (SNAT), which is not affiliated to PSI. SNAT Secretary General (SG) Lot
Vilakati said the reason they supported the petition delivery exercise yesterday
was because they too were affected by the issues which appeared as union bashing
by the government.
Interfered
When delivering the petition, the trade unions stated that the PEU Act
interfered with the bargaining unit of the workers in parastatals. They also
called upon the government to stop the removal of the member of public sector
unions (PSUs) from the unions but allow them to operate using their own
constitutions. The unions also demanded government to stop recognising splinter
unions even if they did not meet the threshold provided by law. The unions, also
called upon government to remove all parts of the laws that enabled employers to
use discretion to recognise unions but use the numerical strength. Prior to
listing their demands, they stated that they had observed the perpetual and
deliberate effort by the employer and government to undermine fundamental
international trade union rights.
“This has been displayed in different ways that range from draconian laws to
unlawful interference, to internal operations of unions,” reads the petition.
Reading the petition was SWADNU Secretary General (SG) Mayibongwe Masangane, who
stated that government was a signatory to many fundamental international
conventions, for example, Convention 98 on the right to organise and collective
bargaining and convention 87 on the freedom of association and protection of the
right to organise.
He said both conventions frowned upon what government was currently doing to
unions in the country. He reminded government that as the largest employer, it
must lead by example so that all the other employers should copy good practice
from it. Masangane stated that good practice would improve good labour
relations, which would in turn improve production and subsequently improve the
economy of the country.
“Workers are drivers of the economy in any country, so when workers are happy,
the economy prospers. Trade union bashing is a bad practice that has no place in
the workplace,” said Masangane. When addressing the participants and the
representatives of the ministry, SWADNU President Welcome Mdluli urged
government to desist from interfering in unions’ affairs as by so doing, the
government was provoking them in their homes. “Unions are our home,” said
Mdluli. Oscar Nkambule, President of NAPSAWU, said the attempt of government to
destroy unions would not succeed. He said the present government that was
attempting to destroy the unions, found unions already existing and they would
leave them existing. Director of Management Services Division Bathandwa
Hlatshwayo received the petition on behalf of the Principal Secretary, Sipho
Tsabedze.