E26M HEADACHE FOR CASH-STRAPPED GOVT

MBABANE – In the middle of its cash flow crisis, government is now faced with a new E26 million crisis.

Government runs the risk of facing contempt of court charges for its failure to comply with a Supreme Court judgment ordering it to move hospital orderlies from a pay scale of Grade A2 to A4.
The orderlies took government to the Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration Commission (CMAC) over the matter and the commission ruled in their favour.

Unsatisfied with the CMAC ruling, government took the matter to the Industrial Court. Again, the orderlies won.
The matter was further taken to the High Court, which also ruled in favour of the orderlies.
Government again appealed to the Supreme Court and the court ruled in favour of the orderlies.

The court ordered that government should not only move the orderlies to Grade A4 but should also backdate their salaries to April 1, 2014.
The judgment was issued on June 30, 2016.
Calculations were done and it was discovered that government needs at least E26 million to comply with the judgment.
Three months later, government has still not complied with the judgment because it does not have money.

It has been reliably learnt that since the judgment was delivered, the Ministry of Health has been running from pillar to post trying to secure the money to move the orderlies to the new pay scale and also backdate their salaries as per the court verdict.
The orderlies are not happy that government has still not complied with the court order.

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