MBABANE – Much against a resolution adopted by Parliament, the retrenchment process at the Eswatini Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (EPTC) is now being effected.
It has been gathered that on Tuesday, employees were shocked when they received letters informing them that those whose retrenchment had been halted following the intervention of Parliament were expected to have their last day of work tomorrow.
One of the letters issued to the employees reads: “Pursuant to the month-on-month special dispensation for you to attend work from April 1, 2025, to date, after the lapse of your contract on March 31, 2025, the corporation hereby advises you as follows: The special dispensation shall terminate on November 30, 2025.”
The letter also states: “As indicated in your contract termination letter dated February 25, 2025, the corporation shall process your termination benefits and pay them directly into your account.” The letters were signed by the Head of Human Resources, Nompumelelo Kunene.
Yesterday, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Swaziland Communications and Allied Workers Union (SCWU) gave feedback to employees through their WhatsApp group.
The NEC relayed that they had been engaged by the acting managing director (MD) of the parastatal, who informed them that this is the last week of work for the 31 employees.
It was mentioned to the members that the acting MD had said the decision was taken by the Board.
“The question that remains is how such a decision was taken when a recommendation was made in Parliament that the retrenchments should be halted and a forensic audit conducted. The report tabled in Parliament listed a variety of recommendations, one of them being that the retrenchments be halted,” it was stated in the employees’ group.
This publication gathered that the NEC then wrote a letter to the Minister for Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), Savannah Maziya, seeking an audience with her to deliberate on the issue.
It was gathered that the minister is set to meet the NEC tomorrow.
When reached for comment, EPTC Board Chairperson, Kwanele Magagula said: “We acknowledge receipt of your questionnaire. However, we respectfully wish to advise you that the corporation’s policy is to respect internal confidential employer and employee matters. This notwithstanding, the corporation wishes to confirm that it has not defied Parliament”.
An effort was also made to contact the acting MD, but her cellphone number rang unanswered when called last night.
As was widely reported earlier this year, about 31 employees faced retrenchment at EPTC and were served with termination letters, which were being delivered randomly, instructing them to vacate their offices by March 31, 2025.
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Questions Board’s decision, threaten legal action
MBABANE – National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Swaziland Communications and Allied Workers Union (SCWU) has questioned the involvement of the EPTC Board in what it has termed an operational matter.
President of SCWU, Maphevu Fakudze, said when the letters were given to the employees, it was a shock as they were of the view that a notice should have been issued first.
“We were informed that the employees will have their last day on Friday (tomorrow) and we are disappointed and hurt since these are human beings. We are not relaxing, we are exploring other options including taking the legal route,” he said.
He also confirmed that they wrote to the minister for ICT to seek her intervention.
“This is total defiance of a resolution that was taken by Parliament. We are concerned that the Board is taking a decision on an operational matter. Decisions on operational matters must be taken by management without the interference of the Board. The Board can only support,” he said.
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