WORKERS LOCKED OUT IN HOLIDAYS PAY DISPUTE

MATSAPHA - Locked out!

This is what happened to some textile workers who had to return home yesterday after they were locked out of their factory in the morning. The incident took place at New Life Garments (PTY) Ltd in Matsapha Industrial Site, a company which has over 300 workers and according to a source close to the matter, the employees and the employer were in disagreement over pay of three public holidays. The employees claim they were not paid when they closed for the festive holidays on December 10, 2021.

Promised

The source alleged that the employer promised to pay them for the three public holidays in January 2022. She said the company reopened on January 17, 2022 and they were paid after a fortnight, but their pay did not include that of the three public holidays in question. She said they had been asking their supervisors to talk to the employer about it, but the talks did not yield positive results. As a result, she said on Monday, the workers engaged the employer again, but the talks were not successful. “When they reported for duty this morning (yesterday), they found the gate locked. When they enquired about why the gate was locked, they were informed that they should wait for the employer,” the source alleged.

However, she said as they were waiting outside the gate, some of them managed to squeeze into the premises of the factory when the security guard opened the gate for vehicles. “To their surprise, those who managed to get into the factory premises found that even the doors to their workstations were locked. As a result, they sat in the yard,” the source said. When this reporter arrived at the factory around 9:30am, it found the gate closed and a number of workers sitting outside, while others had found shelter under trees within the company premises. While this reporter was speaking to some of the workers, they were called to a meeting and that was when the gate was opened for those who were outside. The meeting was held just by the gate (inside) and it lasted for a few minutes. Thereafter, the workers were seen going out of the gate and some of them left for their places of residence, while others remained behind and caucused in groups.

Feedback

When they were asked what the feedback from management was, they alleged that they were told that they should come back today. It was noted that some of them said they wanted to work because they feared that their employer would not pay them for the day if no work had been done. Thereafter, this reporter approached the security guards and asked to see the management. The security personnel requested to first inform the management team and when he returned, he said they had told him to inform this publication that they were busy. Contacts of the employer were asked, but the security guard left for his workstation (guard house) without responding.  Meanwhile, the telephone number (landline) of New Life Garments rang unanswered for the better part of the afternoon yesterday.  On the other hand, the Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland (ATUSWA) Secretary General, Wonder Mkhonza, said he was informed that the workers at the factory were locked out yesterday. He said the employer was supposed to pay the worker for the said public holidays and for yesterday. He said this was because the laws of the country stipulated that employers should pay workers for public holidays.

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