JUNIOR COPS, WARDERS HALT PLAN TO SEE KING
MBABANE: Junior police and Correctional Services officers have suspended moves to seek an audience with His Majesty the King.
The officers disclosed to Eswatini News that following a proactive move by the Ministry of Public Service to engage them, they felt their move to get an emissary (lincusa) to take them to the King could wait, at least for now. The junior state security officers said they were on cloud nine for being recognised by government as key stakeholders.
Applauded
They said the ministry should be applauded for affording them the platform to bargain for their welfare as public servants within the essential services.
The Minister of Public Service, Mabulala Maseko, and his team were praised for affording the officers a chance to state their case and further advance their challenges. The engagement follows years of fruitless promises to junior police and Correctional Services officers by their seniors. The engagement with the ministry followed an urgent national executive and branch committees’ meeting by the officers over the prolonged Phase II of the salary restructuring exercise of 2014.
Police Staff Association General Secretary Sergeant Dumile Khumalo confirmed that they had a fruitful engagement with the ministry. Khumalo said everything was on the table and they were all praying and hoping for good news from the ministry. She said the open lines of communication from the ministry were much appreciated. “We are very much appreciative of the ministry as they value us as equal partners. The ministry informed us of the latest engagement with the minister,” said Khumalo. Meanwhile, the minister previously confirmed that talks between his ministry and the officers were continuing smoothly. He was reluctant to reveal more to the media as he pleaded that the discussions were still between government and the officers.
Discussed
He said the matter was on the negotiation table and could not be discussed in the public domain, for now. “It will be premature to release any information regarding the status of the matter as it is still an issue under discussion between government and her employees,” said Maseko.
The minister assured this publication that both parties would release a detailed statement once talks had been concluded.
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