SAPWU wants out of SFTU

MANZINI – The SFTU faces a major challenge following revelations that its trusted alliance and stronghold, SAPWU contemplates pulling out.

SAPWU is the Swaziland Agricultural Plantations and Allied Workers Union, which feels abused and betrayed by affiliates of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, which have not been paying subscriptions for numerous years but were in office, controlling the affairs of the federation.

The union has a membership of over 5 000. The SAPWU is understood to have discussed the move to pull out from SFTU in its recent meetings, including the last extraordinary meeting where the new secretary general to replace Jan Sithole was elected.

Archie Sayed is the new Secretary General of SAPWU. Sithole resigned to start a consultancy business.
The bone of contention is that for a long time, SAPWU has been running affairs of the SFTU with little or no assistance from affiliates.
The Agricultural and Plantations Union is complaining that public servants’ associations have not been paying subscriptions for two to three years but returned to pay dues that covered a period less than 12 months solely to position themselves for the Congress to elect a new executive.    

It has been established that SAPWU believed some of these unions affiliated to the SFTU were allegedly pushing a political agenda and it suspected that it was being abused in the name of being an affiliate to the SFTU to finance the activities of political parties.
In an interview, Sayed preferred to put it like this:
“We are presently reviewing our position with the SFTU.”

He said the matter had not been concluded but hinted that certain issues raised by his union before this year’s Congress had not been addressed by the SFTU, hence the decision to review their membership.

Impeccable sources said Sayed’s union believed some delegates at the Congress were illegitimate and should not have been voted for or been involved in the voting altogether.

It can be revealed SAPWU’s calculation of members for the Swaziland Processing, Refining and Allied Workers Union (SPRAWU) reflected that over 10 000 members were active but wondered how it came about that only 80 members were religiously paying subscriptions.

“I can only tell you that we had a problem with payment of subscriptions but I cannot go into details.
As a result, SAPWU found itself shouldering almost all financial responsibilities. Now, as a union, it is important that we review our position with the SFTU and I don’t know what will happen there after, nevertheless, we haven’t concluded the matter,” said Sayed.
 

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