TEXTILE WORKERS RETURN TO WORK TODAY – ATUSWA

MBABANE – After being engaged in a strike for almost five weeks, textile workers in Nhlangano are going back to work today.

This was revealed by the Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland (ATUSWA) Secretary General (SG) Wonder Mkhonza on Saturday, during a meeting with his union shop stewards in the different textile industries. Mkhonza said the decision was informed by that the Labour Advisory Board (LAB) had requested all the players in the matter to return to the negotiation table to re-discuss the wages for the workers in the textile and apparel industry. The LAB is a tripartite body (composed of government, employers and workers), established in terms of Part III of the Industrial Relations Act No. 1 of 2000.

Increment

Mkhonza stated that the LAB had set aside the 7.85 per cent increment that was offered by government over the past weeks. The 7.85 per cent increment translated to E12 per hour, while the workers were demanding E15 per hour. The SG added that another resolution taken by the LAB was that the negotiations should begin this week. He further warned that as workers, they would not allow for the negotiations to take long. “We are giving them this chance to do what is right and they know exactly what is right,” added Mkhonza. The SG noted that since there were two issues which led to the workers to go on strike; refusing to accept the E12 offer and, therefore, demanding E15 per hour. He said the fact that the LAB had set aside the E12 offer, it meant the workers had won the first round and were now awaiting their E15 demand to be granted.

In an interview yesterday, Mkhonza confirmed that the workers would be expected to return to work today. He added that even those workers who were allegedly given termination letters by their employer were expected to return to work because their job termination letters were allegedly illegal. He expressed belief that the employer issued those letters just to scare the workers.

Court

He said if the employer insisted that the workers had lost their jobs, as a union, they would take that particular firm to court because the employer did not follow all the required procedures. Mkhonza further urged the employers to bear with other workers who might return to work on Tuesday. He said these workers might be those who resolved to go back to their respective homes other than staying in their rented flats. Mkhonza added that the union had called yet another meeting today during the lunch-hour to address the workers on how the resolution to return to work was taken. When sought for comment, FTM Garments Public Relations Manager Samuel Mdluli said he was not aware of the resolution by the workers to return to work yet. He said he would only learn about it today when he arrived at the company premises to see if indeed the workers had returned to work. Zheng Yong Eswatini (Pty) Ltd Human Resources Manager Peter Mkhwanazi said as a firm, they would welcome the workers back to work. He said more information would be available today after lunch as to what would be the way forward.

Negotiation

Meanwhile, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, John Hlophe, said his ministry had called upon all the players in the industry to go back to the negotiation table. He said all procedures, including gazetting of the wages, would follow thereafter. He added that as a ministry, they were indeed encouraging the workers to go back to work in order for them to make earnings and also help sustain the economy which was affected while they were away. Hlophe further stated that they were expecting all workers to be allowed back to their respective firms, even those who had already been given termination letters. He said taking such a drastic decision to fire the workers under the circumstances would be difficult.  

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