GOVT REPORT APPRECIATED BUT ... - TUCOSWA

MANZINI – TUCOSWA appreciates government for making its end-of-year performance report a public document, but is worried about its lack of commitment in providing jobs for qualified youth.

This is contained in the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland’s (TUCOSWA) New Year (2024) statement, which was issued by the President of the workers’ federation, Bheki Mamba, yesterday. Mamba said, as a federation, they welcome the Cabinet performance report, which was presented to the public by Prime Minister (PM) Russell Dlamini recently.

He said while they have reservations about serious distortions and worrying sentiments contained in the report, the act of making the report public is applauded with due credit to the PM, Cabinet members and public officials involved. However, he said the job creation part of the report is found wanting because it is purportedly devoid of any commitment from government towards job creation in terms of filling of vacant positions, particularly those in the education and health sectors.

“This curious omission by government can be used as testament to its lack of commitment to providing employment to qualifying young people as a means to provide quality education and health to citizens of Eswatini,” the leader of the federation said. It is worth highlighting that according to findings of the Integrated Labour Force Survey, of 2023, which was officially announced by the Minister for Labour and Social Security, Phila Buthelezi, in March 2024, the unemployment rate in the country has increased by 2.1 per cent to 35.4 per cent from 33.3 per cent. Meanwhile, youth unemployment stands at about 58 per cent.

Mamba also expressed their concern on the part of the report where it was stated that; ‘government was pleased to have successfully negotiated for the removal of special paragraphs on Eswatini at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Troika and the International Labour Organisation (ILO)’. He said the statement further states that government will continue to re-evaluate the value and benefit of the country’s membership in international organisations that it subscribes to. 

He said, as a federation, their take will be on the claims of government having negotiated for the removal of special paragraphs on Eswatini at the ILO. “We may wish to state authoritatively that nothing of that sort ever happened and that it is such levels of illusions that result in the country, in particular government, losing support at ILO,” the president said.

Direction

He added that the last part of their statement became a source of worry because it paints a picture of a government that has taken a direction to be placed among rogue governments around the world, who shun international scrutiny and rather choose self-isolation from the family of the international community in order to hide impunity.  He said they challenge government to come out and declare openly if it desires to withdraw its membership from ILO. “If this statement is to be left unclarified, it may cause the country to be ‘looked at suspiciously’ by the international community, which will be to the detriment of economic development of the Kingdom,” Mamba said.

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