NURSES ALREADY PLANNING FOR 2021 SALARY REVIEW

MANZINI - SWADNU members are already preparing for 2021 salary review negotiations and they are calling for a neutral body to lead the process as they feel like government was both a player and referee during this year’s process.

This view and demand was raised during the unions’ National General Council (NGC), which was held at Hope House Conference Room yesterday where the union’s leaders were reporting back to the membership about the outcome of the ongoing salary review negotiations. The union’s member who raised the motion during the meeting said the salary review negotiations which were slated for 2021 should be lead by a neutral body. He said it was improper that government was leading the process yet at the same time she was supposed to negotiate.

“In order to have a smooth sailing salary review negotiations in 2021, we have to make sure that the process is led by a neutral body,” he said.  Another member said as they prepare for the 2021 salary review negotiations, they should use the lessons they learnt during this year’s process so that they could not repeat one and the same mistakes. He urged the members to avoid taking information anywhere. He said they should rely on either the leadership or branch structures. On the same note, Sibusiso Lushaba, the union’s Secretary General, also agreed that they should start preparing for 2021 negotiations.

He said they should start immediately because the consultancy company which would be hired to conduct the study in 2021, would start the process by looking at the current report. Again, Bheki Mamba, the President of the union, said their focus should be in addressing the issue of OSD and nursing assistants then after November 30, 2016, they should start preparing for 2021 salary review negotiations.
Nurses during the meeting revealed that they were happy with the salary review increment but said the collective agreement they signed was just the beginning as they vow to remain focused instead of demilitarising.   

In their mandate, the nurses demanded that government should implement the percentage that was in the salary review report as it was, something which government adhered to and even did better.  They also demanded that government should give them their own scale as per the report and further re-grade nursing assistants. These two demands had not been attended to so far. Sanele Mavuso, a member of the Hhohho Branch of SWADNU, said they were happy with the salary increment the union signed but to them this was just the beginning of the process.

He said to them, the salary increment was just a portion of what they demand from government.  They said they would not rest until the outstanding issues were tackled and an agreement was reached. Mamba, the President of the union, also sang the same tune by saying following the agreement reached by public sector unions and government  on Wednesday night, they would not demilitarise but would remain focused as there were other important issues to be addressed. “We are not demilitarising our forces but remaining. We are remaining focused because the collective agreement and salary review increment we signed is just the beginning,” the president said.  He said he valued the unity demonstrated by both the union leaders and members during the salary review negotiations.

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