TUCOSWA GIVES GOVT TILL MARCH TO ACT OR ELSE ...

MBABANE – TUCOSWA has given government until end of March to act or be in for it. The Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) has an ultimatum for government to address a litany of issues raised in the past which it has allegedly acted on.

The union with its affiliates marched to the ministry of labour and social security to deliver a petition to the Minister Winnie Magagula. 
The marched kicked off with the singing of the South African National anthem. The list of issues that the union wants government to address include; severance allowance, national minimum wage, amendments to the public enterprises, elimination of precarious employment and the inclusion of domestic workers as members of the SNPF and ratification of the ILO convention 189 on domestic workers.

According to the union’s Secretary General, Vincent Ncongwane, ever since the union engaged government in 2013 on the matter of national minimum wage, nothing has been done whereas this was a current discussion internationally. Therefore, the union wants the minister to write to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and request for a study to be done on the subject matter in Swaziland. Ncongwane said even though the union had done its study and found that the national minimum wage should be E3 500, the minister should request for ILO’s findings as well.

On another note, TUCOSWA wants government to reinstate the severance allowance, as a stand-alone long service benefit outside the termination of services by the employer. This benefit is said to have been withdrawn through court orders in 2015.

The removal of the benefit is said to have negative effects on the employees as when they retire, they go home with nothing when they deserve to be appreciated for the services they have provided while serving the employer.

The petition that was delivered to the ministry stated that the severance allowance, a payment which was paid to employees who leave employment through retirement, had been enjoyed by Swazi workers since 1985.

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