MANZINI – Government has officially countered the planned protest action by Public Sector Unions (PSUs), describing their move to march as premature, given that negotiations have not yet reached a deadlock.
The PSUs had planned to deliver petitions on the suspended implementation of the notching exercise, which was expected to give all public servants a slight salary increment.
In a statement, the Minister for Public Service, Mabulala Maseko, has addressed the tension surrounding the controversial notching issue – the annual salary advancement within grades – which has seen teachers, nurses and civil servants mobilise for a march in the capital.
Minister Maseko emphasised that government remains actively engaged in the Joint Negotiations Forum (JNF) and that the doors to dialogue remain open.
“The ministry acknowledges that the subject of notching remains under active deliberation. At present, negotiations have not reached a deadlock, rendering any related actions premature, especially in light of the fact that negotiations are set to resume next week,” the minister stated.
To de-escalate the situation, Prime Minister (PM) Russell Dlamini extended a formal invitation to PSUs leadership yesterday morning.
The PM is said to have waited for hours with some Cabinet ministers as the PSUs had already gone to Manzini. According to Maseko, this meeting was intended to initiate a dialogue and find a mutually agreeable path forward, while the JNF completes its formal proceedings.
The minister reaffirmed government’s commitment to the welfare of public servants and adherence to legally established frameworks.
“The government hereby reaffirms its commitment to the interests and welfare of all public servants, as well as adherence to all legally established frameworks that govern good-faith engagement at all levels,” he said.
While government maintains that proceedings are on track, the PSUs have previously argued that the lack of implementation of Scenario 3 of the salary review constitutes a breach of the General Orders.
The four public servants at the centre of the controversy are the Swaziland National Association of Teachers, Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), Swaziland National Association of Government Accountants Personnel (SNAGAP) as well as National Association of Public Servants and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU).
The Public Servants had scheduled a march to Mbabane to deliver petitions at both the Ministry of Public Service and Cabinet yesterday, but the petition delivery was unsuccessful.
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After notching ‘war’, CoLA will start
MANZINI – Public Servants say after the notching storm is over, they want to start discussions over the cost-of- living adjustments (CoLA).
Swaziland National Association of Teachers Secretary General Lot Vilakati said the CoLA must not be confused with the notching exercise or the implementation of the report of consultants on salary review exercise.
He said the workers at notch A and B will go notch-to-notch, which means every year they also need to receive the salary increment known as notching until 2030.
“What we refused was that they be given 0.5 per cent which was to be a once off. That is what we refused because according to us, negotiations for A and B have not even started. What we agreed is that when we start the cost-of-living adjustment negotiations, we will start with A and B, which will have a higher CoLA.
*Full article available on Pressreader*
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