UNESWA WORKERS STRIKE, LOCK STUDENTS OUT, EXAMS DISRUPTED

MATSAPHA - Imagine working hard and having sleepless nights only to be blocked from writing your examination paper?

This befell some students enrolled at the University of Eswatini (UNESWA), Kwaluseni Campus, who had come to write their examination papers yesterday morning as they were locked out of the institution by workers who were on strike. The students were supposed to write their examination papers at 9am, but when they arrived at the university at around 8am, they found that the main gate was locked by the workers of the institution who were on strike. The examination is for the first semester of the 2020/21 academic year.

Demanded

During their strike action, which they termed a ‘combo strike’, the workers demanded three per cent cost-of-living adjustment (CoLA) for the 2020/21 financial year and the removal of the Chairman of the University Council, Prince David. Regarding the three per cent CoLA, the workers, who are organised under the banner of the National Workers Union in Swaziland Higher Institutions (NAWUSHI), said they had exhausted all available avenues, but their demand was not adhered to. They said they even petitioned Parliament on same, but did not yield the desired results. NAWUSHI President Samuel Shongwe said the UNESWA employees did not benefit from the CoLA that was stipulated in the Public Enterprises Unit (PEU) Circular of March 2020, which granted three per cent as Major to be used for 2020/21 salary adjustment. He said they believed that the institution had the financial muscle to implement the salary adjustment.

He said this was because apart from receiving a government subvention, UNESWA currently had many self-sponsored students and it also received donations from individuals and various institutions locally, regionally and abroad. He said they believed that the chairman of the university council was allegedly stopping the institution from implementing the circular. He said this was because the chairman allegedly called them to a meeting and told them that the university did not have money and in that regard they would not get the three per cent CoLA.

Deadlock

According to the unionist, they took the issue of the CoLA to the Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration Commission (CMAC) and reached a deadlock.  Thereafter, he said a certificate of unresolved dispute was issued and they used it to ballot for a legal strike action.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: