SRA WORKERS PICKET AHEAD OF TODAY’S STRIKE

NGWENYA – As a clear sign that today’s strike will be in full effect, some services at the Swaziland Revenue Authority (SRA) were slow yesterday.

As planned, the declaration of goods was very slow at Ngwenya Border Gate, where a number of truck drivers were frustrated by the process. They complained that some of the staff was deliberately delaying them by attending to their phones and forgetting about the paperwork. One truck driver, James Magongo, who is employed by Interfreight Services, said they realised that the people who were assisting them were new. Magongo said the services were very slow than usual. “We arrived here at 9am but the declaration of goods was completed at noon,” he said. Employees at the border started picketing at around 12:30pm until 2pm. The same applied for employees at the headquarters, who also engaged in a picket which started at noon.  

Leading the picketing at the Ngwenya Border, President of the Swaziland Revenue Authority Workers Union (SRAWU), Tremendous Dlamini said they were demanding a total of 13.3 per cent cost-of-living adjustment.   Dlamini said they were already enjoying the 6.8 per cent cost-of-living adjustment approved by SCOPE to all Category A parastatals.  “We want SRA to grant us another 6.5 per cent which is within our rights,” Dlamini said. When asked if the 13.3 per cent total was not above inflation rate, he said the court would not have granted them an order to strike if that was the case. He said their leverage was on withholding their services until they received what they wanted. “The employer must not be fooled as we are calling the shots now and they have no power over us,” he said.

He said they would be marching to the Ministry of Finance tomorrow to present their demands. He advised the employees that the protest action was legal and they should not fear anything. “From now on, you will be reporting to the union until we get back to work, so do not be intimidated by anyone,” said Dlamini. 

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