‘STRIKING SRA WORKERS THREATENING MANAGERS’

MBABANE – The Industrial Court has interdicted SRA employees from verbally threatening managers.

The aggrieved employees, who are currently on strike, are among other acts reported to be verbally threatening some of the managers who were at work and the situation was getting volatile. The order by the court comes after SRA yesterday approached the Industrial Court on urgent basis. The employees were also interdicted and restrained from carrying out their picket in areas other than the designated ones. The interim order was issued by Judge President of the Industrial Court Sifiso Nsibande. Judge Nsibande further issued an order restricting the union and its members from entering SRA offices. In his founding affidavit, SRA Commissioner General Dumisani Masilela, mentioned that the application sought to interdict unlawful activities perpetrated by the union and its members during the course of the strike. He told the court that the union and its members were interfering with SRA clients, obstructing traffic, violating provisions of strike picketing rules, committing acts of misconduct during the course of the strike.

Masilela averred that certain conduct by the union and its members constituted a breach of the strike rules and were tantamount to misconduct. “Since the inception of the strike, the union and its members have wilfully and persistently violated the picket rules and in particular, have committed different acts of misconduct,” submitted the SRA commissioner general. He alleged that the employees had failed to adhere to Clause 4(d) and (f) of the picketing rules, by staging pickets in Manzini Service Centre, Mahamba Border Post and in other areas without notification and/or agreement with SRA. Masilela averred that in terms of the notice issued by the union on December 12, 2017, these areas were not designated as picket areas. “They have consistently interfered with the free flow of traffic, particularly at Matsamo, Ngwenya and Matsamo Border post on December 13-14, 2017,”alleged Masilela. He contended that this was in violation of Clauses 4(e) and 5(a) of the picket rules.

The commissioner general also disclosed that the employees had forcefully entered into SRA’s head office in Matsapha Service Centre during the course of the strike action. He alleged that some of the employees of SRA who were at work were not allowed to enter the premises during the course of the strike action in accordance to Clause 5(b) of the strike picketing rules. Masilela highlighted that there were other violations and this caused SRA on December 14, 2017 to send a formal letter to the union reminding it of its obligation. In the letter it wrote to the union, SRA was also seeking an undertaking from it that it would refrain from this unlawful conduct. “No undertaking was received from the union within the stipulated timeframe. However, the violations of the strike picketing rules continued unabated,” argued Masilela. He submitted that the obstruction of traffic at major border posts such as Ngwenya, Matsamo, Lavumisa and Mahamba had continued.

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