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Labour union chiefs missing in action

21/07/2010 00:00:00 MBONGENI NDLELA

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MBABANE – Labour Unions have lived up to their promise to shun the SMART Partnership Dialogue as they feel it does not benefit the country.

The unions had recently resolved to shun the dialogue and yesterday they did not attend the smart dialogue because they say ‘it is a waste of time’.

This is what these organisations said:
Swaziland Nurses Association (SNA) Sibusiso Lushaba, SNA’s secretary, said "We only support social dialogue not SMART Partnership because we don’t see how it benefits us. What was discussed in the past four years, it is still the same issues even today because the dialogue has failed to practically address or put to practice those targets. The concept of the forum does not accommodate issues of concern because the participants go there as individuals. The dialogue is a waste of time and national funds,"

National Association of Public Servants and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) Vincent Dlamini, Secretary General, said "The dialogue is one that wastes resources because there is no service delivery. The dialogue is full of discussion but no action and that is a waste of time. As civil servants we feel attending the dialogue is very useless because government has failed to attend to the issues that were discussed in the previous dialogue. The agenda of the dialogue should be proposed or suggested by the participants not by government. We have learnt that it has become pointless to attend and raise issues of concern because they are not attended to."

Swaziland National Association for Teachers (SNAT) Secretary General Muzi Mhlanga, referred the dialogue as a talk show that yields no results. He said "The dialogue, SMART Partnership, is meant for people to share a cup of tea and remind themselves issues that are, and will always be, affecting the country. There is a lot that has been said during these dialogues but there is less or even nothing that has been done. Attending to such a dialogue would be a waste of time and national funds. The issue that should be topical now is how to change the political set-up of the country because at the moment it is inexplicable.

Mario Masuku also no-show

MBABANE – President of the banned political party PUDEMO, Mario Masuku, has said the dialogue is contradictory.

He said people go there as individuals yet government institutions are represented.

Masuku said the reason he did not attend the dialogue was that he does not believe that the discussions will embrace a meaningful national building exercise.

"The content and context of topics and stakeholders is of paramount importance in the bringing of people who are not acquainted with certain topics is just a smoke screen cosmetic propaganda and misuse of national funds."

Comments

Dear Sir, Unions were wrong for deciding not to attend this year's national summit. They always talk of change and this was their opportunity for them to voice their solutions for the country. It was also an opportunity for them to show the areas where the government and other stakeholders have missed out on since the last smart partnership dialogue as well as address the areas which have been achieved. How can people look up to them as union leaders if they do not contribute something? Next thing they'll do is complain that the government does not include them in national discussions when in fact they are the ones refusing invitations. They better not lie in next year's ILO meeting. I commend the government for working its best to try involve every organization whether banned or not banned in this year's summit. Whether the topics of this year's summit were relevant to their main concerns or not, unions and other progressive orgs should have seen involving themselves. This would be a positive indication that they care about every issue that relates to the country.
July 20, 2010, 9:41 am, Themba (Disappointed at unions)

The reasons that Unions put forth are justified in my view. I think as a country Swaziland has not dealt well with issues of development to eradicate poverty, even though we have these dialogues. We need to have clear outcomes for development from such meetings and frankly we are not even there as a country. That is why we are in the Guinness Book for all the wrong reasons. I wish we could stop being apprehensive towards differing opinion. I wish someday we can be true to ourselves and to the ordinary Swazi who is living in extreme poverty by "walking the talk”. V. Mamba
Jul 21, 2010, 11:16 AM, Vusi Mamba

For your Country your Majesty to attain World class status your Government must first get its priorities right, we cant afford to have a bulk of the Budget going into security forces and another question is, who are you building this Country to a World class status for? When a majority of the population are living in abject poverty ,sick and dying in hospitals, a lot of unemployement rate, sick education system, as Swaziland accumulates millions and now think of a World class status remember to uplift your citizens and treat them as such not subjects and beggars, so the Unions Chiefs are right by snubbing this stokvel because what you dialogue about is farfetched lets be realsitic and relevant,
July 21, 2010, 1:34 pm, Concerned Citizen (hshongwe@realpeople.co.za)