TEACHERS CALL OFF STRIKE BUT ...

MANZINI – Teachers have made their decision and it is not something any country would like to experience.

Following the Industrial Court judgment of September 23, 2018, which stopped the proposed Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) and National Public Service and Allied Workers Union’s (NAPSAWU) proposed strike action, the teachers union called an extraordinary general meeting yesterday.

During their meeting, which was held at SNAT Centre and attended by over 5 000 teachers from the four regions of the country, the educators decided to abide by the court ruling by calling off their intended strike action. The strike was supposed to start on Tuesday and end tomorrow.
However, the teachers’ decision was clear that even though they have called off their proposed strike action, they would ensure that teaching and learning does not take place in schools across the country.

The teachers agreed to do this by attending a series of activities to be organised by their associations on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. In their agreement, they said teachers, especially SNAT members, were only expected to go to their workplaces on Mondays and Fridays until they got the 6.55 per cent cost-of-living-adjustment (CoLA) for 2018/19 financial year.

This agreement was effective from yesterday after the SNAT extraordinary general meeting and it continues today.
It is worth noting that as teachers were expected to go to their respective workplaces tomorrow, they agreed that no teaching and learning would take place as they would go there for the sake of being at work. They said the same thing would apply in the coming Mondays and Fridays.

They agreed to follow this routine until their demand of 6.55 per cent pay rise was met or if there was a need to change strategy and engage another gear.
There was a suggestion that they not stage a sit-in to avoid the no work-no-pay rule, something which they experienced during their 2012 Waya Waya strike action.
However, the agreement was that they should stick to the above activities because a sit-in could land them in trouble with their employer.
They said if they engaged in a sit-in, the head teachers could charge them with misconduct.
Furthermore, the teachers agreed that no voice would stop their action plan beside that of their employer. This was after some members raised a concern about what would happen if the police, through the office of the national commissioner (NATCOM), decided to stop their activities. 
The agreement was that they should not bother listening to any other statement besides that of their employer. However, it was clarified that the only voice from the employer which they would give an ear to was one which would be addressing their demands.
They also agreed that if, by any chance, force would be used to stop their planned activities, they would converge at their home; SNAT Centre and map a way forward.

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