TUCOSWA – GET READY TO FIGHT RETRENCHMENTS

MANZINI – The workforce has been warned to be ready for a real COVID-19 war (in form of retrenchments), which is yet to come to the workplace.

This warning comes from the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) and is contained in the workers’ federation 2020 Workers’ Day statement which was released by the secretariat yesterday. The secretariat includes Acting Secretary General Mduduzi Gina and Deputy Secretary General Muzi Mhlanga.

Strategies

The federation said this years’ May Day should present the workforce an opportunity to rethink their strategies to intensify the workers’ rights defence models. It said they need more innovative ways as most employers, for a prolonged period, would want to justify exploitation using the effects of the virus as a shield.

In fact, its argument was that the projection of 20 million job losses to be recorded in Africa as a consequence of the virus includes Eswatini. On that regard, it said this means that the trade union movement would be negatively affected. It said negative effects would not only be because of reduced membership, but its bargaining power would be weaker due to a frail economy.
Therefore, the federation said in order for them to meet the obvious challenges of the future, they needed to consolidate their unity.

Instability

It said said their collective power was the only available tried and tested tool to fight the socio-economic instability ahead of them.
It further warned the workers that the layoffs, which were currently obtaining in various industries, were an indication that retrenchments were upon them. On that note, it said as they go for possible retrenchment package negotiations, they should not give in to being hoodwinked into accepting less favourable settlements.

According to its analysis, the COVID-19 pandemic was a general battle for survival and a real war for workers was yet to come at their workplaces as they defend their rights from being taken away in the name of the virus.

“We need to fight that war with all our might and zeal as employers might want to recover their lost profits by engaging in all sorts of unfair labour practices,” the secretariat said in the statement. As it analysed the situation, it said the employers would want to engage the workers in precarious employment contracts, force them to work in excess of their usual working hours and all sorts of habits that would be designed to circumvent the generally accepted workers’ rights and freedoms.

On that regard, the federation warned the workers to resist that. It said they should oppose all initiatives that would seek to suggest that their rights at work should be secondary to the employers’ profits.

Guidelines

However, it is worth noting that at the moment, the Guidelines on Employment Contingency Measures in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic General Notice 22 of 2020 says there should be no retrenchments based on the pandemic.
In fact, it says an employer shall not retrench any employee within the declared period of partial lockdown.

It also says, provided that an employer was ordinarily planning on retrenchments during the period of the declared state of national emergency on the basis of prior arranged or on-going standard restructuring process, the employer shall fully comply with the provisions of Section 40 of the Employment Act No. 5 of 1980.

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