Times Of Swaziland: GOVT, UNIONS TALKS IN DEADLOCK GOVT, UNIONS TALKS IN DEADLOCK ================================================================================ BY STANLEY KHUMALO on 07/12/2018 09:09:00 MBABANE – Hospitals and schools could face a total shutdown as the PM, Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini-led government offered PSAs zero per cent. This was for the much anticipated cost-of-living-adjustment (CoLA) by public sector associations. After waiting a period of two months for a new government, yesterday, PSA leaders stormed out of the joint negotiation forum (JNF) as they were yet again offered zero per cent by government. The PSAs are formed by the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU), the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), and the Swaziland National Association of Government Accounting Personnel (SNAGAP). The negotiations were held at the Ministry of Public Service Conference Room. They started at 10am and lasted until 1:40pm. The Secretary General of SNAT, Sikelela Dlamini, said government should brace itself for an exorbitant expenditure as of January 28, 2019. Dlamini said the police should take over schools and render the services they volunteered since the beginning of October 2018 when external examinations for Form Vs ensued. Incurred In the 46 days that the police spent manning schools, a bill in excess of E40 million was incurred by government. The Ministry of Education and Training rented 400 cars, fuelled them for the daily errands and bought food for the security personnel daily. Dlamini said the security personnel were the right personnel to run the schools given that they ‘were of high preference’ by government as their stay in schools cost over E40 million in just 46 days. “They should go run the schools as we’ll be broke. Actually, let them interfere with our profession and bargaining leverage again,” Dlamini vented. The Secretary General further released a statement to the membership of the organisation informing them the meeting was announced before the negotiation date. He said the deadlock was finally signed at 1:14pm. Meanwhile, SWADNU said they were were going to deal with government accordingly. Bheki Mamba, President of SWADNU said firstly, they will not be working on Christmas Day (December 25, 2018) as they will be broke – that is if government implements the no-work-no-pay. This, he said, was in response to the minute released by government insinuating that deductions were to be made from salaries of some members of his union in December for partaking in an ‘illegal strike’. Mamba said the reason for this act would be that they would be broke.