TUCOSWA ELECTIVE CONGRESS IN DECEMBER

MANZINI – Finally, things are starting to fall into place in TUCOSWA.

This is after failing to hold a general council (GC) meeting twice.

The Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) finally held one on Saturday and it was successful as it decided dates for their elective congress, which seemed to be in limbo.

According to the workers’ federation Deputy Secretary General, Muzi Mhlanga, he said the GC resolved that the elective congress should be held from December 18 to 20, 2020.

Affiliates

He said the GC meeting was held at Caritas, but it was attended by affiliates which are in good standing with the federation in terms of subscriptions. The federation tried twice to hold a GC meeting, but failed as they did not form a quorum. The main reason was that most affiliates were not in good standing in terms of subscriptions. In fact, the affiliates owe the federation a sum of about E1.9 million. 

Again, Mhlanga said the five unions considered to be in good standing in the aborted meeting on September 5, 2020, resolved that the Swaziland Hotel and Catering Allied Workers Union (SHCAWU), Swaziland Commercial Workers Union (SCAWU) and  Swaziland Health Institution and Allied Workers Union (SHIAWU) should be part of the meeting as observers. 

He said this was because the above mentioned trade unions had applied to be exempted from paying subscriptions due to the fact that employers in its sectors had closed, amid the outbreak of COVID-19, which means that it was also not getting members’ subscriptions.

On the same note, he said the Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland (ATUSWA), had been exempted, but it had since filed an application to renew the exemption.

On another note, the deputy secretary general said the federation’s national office bearers (NOBS) had been tasked to look for new offices to rent. Currently, the federation’s offices are housed at Plot 290 opposite Lulama Clinic in Manzini.

Subscriptions

Once more, he said the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) and Swaziland Trade Union (SATU) complained that the organisation wrongly calculated their standing in terms of subscriptions. He said the trade unions said it appeared that they owed subscriptions yet they believe they were in good standing. 

On that regard, he said the GC internal auditors had been asked to bring a report with a recommendation about the matter. He added that the next GC meeting would be held on October 10, 2020.

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