STANDARD BANK RUNS TO COURT TO AVERT STRIKE

MBABANE – Standard Bank Swaziland Limited has rushed to court in a bid to stop a strike action by its employees billed for Tuesday.

The employees filed a notice to strike after negotiations with the bank over a seven per cent cost of living adjustment and a bonus calculated at a minimum of two week’s salary reached a deadlock.
The Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration Commission (CMAC) issued a certificate of unresolved dispute on the issue and the workers, through their union, Swaziland Union of Financial Institutions and Allied Workers (SUFIAW), indicated that they would engage in a strike action on Tuesday.

According to SUFIAW, the cost of living negotiations for the year 2015/16 started on February 3, 2015 and demands of 7.5 per cent salary adjustment and payment of bonus, as promised by the bank the previous year, were placed before the bank.

Standard Bank is alleged to have offered six per cent (later reviewed to 6.2 per cent) cost of living adjustment and payment of merit increments.
After consultation, the employees did not accept that there would be no payment of bonus, notwithstanding that such payment had been allegedly promised by the bank.
“Members did not understand how the bank could easily move away from the promises it had made. Even if there was a valid reason for it not to pay the bonus, such should have been communicated in good time,” stated SUFIAW.

The bank is alleged to have reviewed its offer to 6.2 per cent, which was, however, without the payment of a bonus as envisaged by the staff and the parties reached a deadlock.
The bank filed an urgent application in the Industrial Court in which it seeks an order restraining and interdicting its employees from embarking on the strike.

Standard bank also wants an order declaring that the employees are not entitled to pursue a strike action in relation to the bonus and severance allowances disputes.
Further, the bank seeks an order declaring that the notice to strike issued April 7, 2015 is of no force and effect.

In its founding affidavit si- gned by Head of Human Capital Bonisiwe Masuku, the bank argued that the introduction of the demand of a bonus during the subsistence of the collective agreement, the parties entered into was an irregularity.
In terms of the collective agreement, the bank undertook to pay a thirteenth cheque and meritorious increment.

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