GOVT INSISTS ON 0% OFFER

MBABANE – Insult or not, government still maintains its zero per cent offer to PSAs.

PSAs are public sector associations which comprise the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU), Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), and the Swaziland National Association of Government Accounting Personnel (SNAGAP).

After more than two hours of negotiations, the Government Negotiation Team (GNT) stood firm by its decision to offer civil servants zero per cent. This is despite PSAs informing the GNT that they were willing to negotiate their set 9.15 per cent. PSAs, according to SWADNU President Bheki Mamba, even went to the extent of suggesting to government to table other alternatives if it had no money.

Mamba when asked what their response was to government saying they should suggest where the money could come from, he said none of their suggestions were taken to account. He said the GNT made excuses for every suggestion made about where the money could be sourced. These suggestions included reducing the army budget, halting some capital projects, and doing away with certain events that cost taxpayers exorbitant funds.

Addressing the about 3 000 civil servants, Mamba said they had three options that they could explore since government was not tabling anything; to take to the streets, to engage in a go slow, or to take the legal route to force government to sign the deadlock agreement. The latter was the least supported option by workers as they demanded immediate action.

Civil servants went out of control after they were told by their leaders that government had again refused to sign a deadlock agreement. They demanded that their leaders immediately go back to the negotiation table and demand that government signs the agreement.
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