GOVT’S URGENT MEET WITH PSAS

MANZINI - In a sudden turn of events, government called an urgent meeting for CoLA talks on Wednesday, but it was the same old story - the country has no money.

In fact, an impeccable source said the government negotiation team (GNT) told the public sector associations (PSAs) that it was willing to continue with the negotiations for the 2019/2020 financial year so long as the substantive agenda items did not have a bearing on money.
Sikelela Dlamini, the Secretary General of SNAT, confirmed the matter.

He said it was at about 9:21pm on Tuesday, when they received a call from the GNT representative inviting them to the roundtable on Wednesday at noon in the Ministry of Public Service conference room.

“In the telephonic invitation, we were told that the agenda would be the cost-of-living adjustment (CoLA) for the 2019/20 financial year,” he said.
Dlamini said as leaders of the unions, they honoured the invite to demonstrate that they were always available for such engagement whenever they were called upon.

He said they were committed to attending to issues affecting their members.
However, the teachers’ union secretary general said when they gathered at the roundtable, they were told another story.

He said they learnt that the GNT only called them to reiterate a hymn that the Prime Minister, Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini-led administration, had been singing since it was sworn-in on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, that government was faced with serious cash challenges.

He said while procedure dictated that any financial year’s negotiations should begin with a clearly defined agenda that had been agreed upon by all parties, this particular meeting had no outline to follow.
“The GNT pointed out that they were willing to continue with the negotiations for the 2019/20 financial year so long as the substantive agenda items do not have a bearing on money but on other implementable issues whose due implementation will not require any finances,” Dlamini emphasised.

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