REMOVE PEU ACT ON PARASTATALS – UNIONS PETITION

MBABANE – Three trade unions collectively organised under the umbrella of Public Service International (PSI) yesterday delivered a petition calling upon the removal of the PEU Act on parastatals.  

These unions were the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) and the National Workers Union in Swaziland Higher Institutions (NAWUSHI). The petition was delivered yesterday to the Ministry of Public Service.
They were joined by their counterpart, the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), which is not affiliated to PSI. SNAT Secretary General (SG) Lot Vilakati said the reason they supported the petition delivery exercise yesterday was because they too were affected by the issues which appeared as union bashing by the government.

Interfered

When delivering the petition, the trade unions stated that the PEU Act interfered with the bargaining unit of the workers in parastatals. They also called upon the government to stop the removal of the member of public sector unions (PSUs) from the unions but allow them to operate using their own constitutions. The unions also demanded government to stop recognising splinter unions even if they did not meet the threshold provided by law. The unions, also called upon government to remove all parts of the laws that enabled employers to use discretion to recognise unions but use the numerical strength. Prior to listing their demands, they stated that they had observed the perpetual and deliberate effort by the employer and government to undermine fundamental international trade union rights. 

“This has been displayed in different ways that range from draconian laws to unlawful interference, to internal operations of unions,” reads the petition. Reading the petition was SWADNU Secretary General (SG) Mayibongwe Masangane, who stated that government was a signatory to many fundamental international conventions, for example, Convention 98 on the right to organise and collective bargaining and convention 87 on the freedom of association and protection of the right to organise.

He said both conventions frowned upon what government was currently doing to unions in the country. He reminded government that as the largest employer, it must lead by example so that all the other employers should copy good practice from it. Masangane stated that good practice would improve good labour relations, which would in turn improve production and subsequently improve the economy of the country.

“Workers are drivers of the economy in any country, so when workers are happy, the economy prospers. Trade union bashing is a bad practice that has no place in the workplace,” said Masangane. When addressing the participants and the representatives of the ministry, SWADNU President Welcome Mdluli urged government to desist from interfering in unions’ affairs as by so doing, the government was provoking them in their homes. “Unions are our home,” said Mdluli. Oscar Nkambule, President of NAPSAWU, said the attempt of government to destroy unions would not succeed. He said the present government that was attempting to destroy the unions, found unions already existing and they would leave them existing. Director of Management Services Division Bathandwa Hlatshwayo received the petition on behalf of the Principal Secretary, Sipho Tsabedze.

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