PS: NO-WORK, NO-PAY DEDUCTIONS NEXT MONTH

MBABANE – Civil servants who absented themselves during the two-day protest action by public transport workers might have escaped the no-work, no-pay deductions this month but it will definitely be effected next month.

This was confirmed by the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Public Service, Sipho Tsabedze. Tsabedze said more or less 500 civil servants would be affected by the no-work, no-pay. He stated that they failed to effect the deductions this month due to the early payment, as the deduction processes were cumbersome.

When told that civil servants had threatened to take government to court should the deductions be effected on their salaries, Tsabedze said it was their right to go to court. He wondered what case the civil servants had because they indeed absented themselves from work. “You cannot demand money you have not worked for, it does not make sense,” said the PS.

Meanwhile, National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) President Oscar Nkambule, said it was actually criminal for government to make the deductions.  “You cannot deduct employees’ salaries because you want to expose them to danger,” said Nkambule. He said they would definitely challenge government in court, should it effect the deductions.

Nkambule said there was a sense of danger during the two-day protest action, adding that, past experience had taught them, as some workers were shot while they were on their way to or from work. This, he said, happened despite that the employees had been guaranteed protection. The president also argued that the employees could not reach their workplaces during the two-day protest action as there was no public transport available. “How was it then possible for the workers to go to work as they relied on the public transport?” Nkambule questioned. He also noted that government had provided buses in the absence of public transport, but it did not work for the employees.

Furthermore, he said government workers were not well-remunerated and effecting deductions meant that they would take nothing home. He challenged the heads of department (HODs) in government offices to include themselves on the list of absentees, adding that they should also be the first whose salaries should be deducted. Nkambule said the HODs were also absent and there was no one in the offices.

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