PUBLIC WORKS ‘TOOLS DOWN’ ENDS

MBABANE – Is government violating its own labour complaint provisions? Civil servants employed by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Building Department are gearing up for work after over four months of conducting a ‘tools down’ in protest against the lack of personal protective equipment.

Some of the workers, after meeting with the ministry’s Under Secretary (US), Naniki Mnisi, revealed that they were picking up the few tools that they had available to resume their daily work routine. 

According to the civil servants, the environment is still non-conducive for work as the personal protective equipment, working material and transport that necessitated the ‘tools-down’ had not been provided.

concerns

Other concerns include the lack of vehicles to transport workers to their assignments which contravenes Section 73 (a) of the Employment Act of 1980. The clause stipulates that every employer “Shall at his own expense provide an employee with transport to his place of employment and for his repatriation, and shall take all necessary steps to ensure that the vehicles used to transport the employees are suitable for such purpose and that they are in good sanitary condition and not overcrowded”

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The lack of protective gear further contravenes the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 2009 which provides for “The safety and health of persons at work and at workplace and for the protection of persons other than persons at the workplace against hazards to safety and health arising out of or in connection with the activities of persons in the workplace”

Albeit the decision to honour the ministry’s request for operation in the department, workers have put forth a condition. They said they had agreed to report for duty, provided they would be spared from performing any high-risk tasks.

execute

Shop Stewart, Sibusiso Mkhatshwa, explained that they would not execute assignments that required the use of and contact with hazardous material such as sharp and flammable objects. He said that the US had pleaded with them to continue working while they wait for the new government to begin operating.

He added that she had managed to convince them that it was better to approach the new Members of Parliament (MPs) with a calm and collaborative spirit as  they were new to these issues and needed to indulge them in a peaceful manner.

“For now, we are going to do the work that we are expected to do. We will also observe whether the new government will attend to our needs and prioritise on our safety. Hopefully, they will do just that,” he said.

visibility

Mkhatshwa further said that although their needs were not yet met, they appreciated the ministry’s visibility and their engagement with the workers. He added that this was an uncommon, yet welcomed gesture from their superiors.
“In the past, we did not have direct access to management. In fact, we were constantly questioning whether our grievances ever reached them. But this meeting with the US has confirmed their receipt of our issues and it is a step in the right direction,” he added.

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