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Ministries conduct roll call to catch absentees

12/07/2012 00:00:00 LINDA JELE

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MBABANE – Government ministries and departments yesterday conducted a roll call to ‘catch’ employees who may have absented themselves.

The roll calls were conducted after the lunch hour where all employees who were present in their offices, were made to sign a document, to mark their presence. The document, it was stated, was to be later sent to the Ministry of Public Service.

The roll call came at the height of a strike action that had been organised by the National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU), where they demanded a 4.5 per cent salary increment.

Over 500 civil servants yesterday took to the streets in a bid to force government to heed to their demand.

A reliable source stated that the roll call was conducted to ascertain if employees had vacated their offices to be part of the strike.

The Judiciary was also not left out in the exercise.

Yesterday High Court staff was made to sign the document indicating that they were present at their work stations. The roll call had been authorised by the Supreme Court Registrar Lorraine Hlophe.

Government Spokesperson Percy Simelane, said employees who were found to have been absent from their workstations would not be paid for that particular day. He said the no work-no pay rule was stipulated in the Industrial Relations Act.

Meanwhile, NAPSAWU President Quinton Dlamini said he hoped the roll call was conducted by the heads of sections.

He said heads of sections were the only ones who would know if an employee was absent, either on sick leave, or they were on annual leave or any other reason.

"The no-work-no-pay rule is lawful, but the roll call should be conducted by the heads of sections.

"Otherwise, that would cause problems, because even thieves would pop up and say they are from the Public Service and were marking a roll call," Dlamini said.

The strike is expected to proceed today.