IT’S FINAL; TEX RAY CLOSED

MANZINI – Tex Ray Factory has finally closed down as all affected parties have agreed that workers should not report for work today.

The decision was reached during an over three-hour meeting between the factory’s management, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, which was represented by the Labour Commissioner, Khabonina Dlamini, and the workers’ unions.
The dragging meeting was held at Esibayeni Lodge from about 4pm and it lasted up until about 7:45pm.

The workers’ unions included the executive members of the Swaziland Manufacturing and Allied Workers Union (SMAWU) and the Amalgamated Trade Unions of Swaziland (ATUSWA), together with Tex Ray shop stewards.
A source close to the matter said part of the issues discussed was the proposal by Tex Ray management to keep workers at home as there was no work to do in the factory.

The source said management said the decision to keep workers at home would also help them choose banks where they can open accounts, which they would use to receive their terminal benefits.

The source said the parties debated on the matter but nothing could change the fact that there was no longer work for the workers in the factory.
She said from last Friday up to yesterday, the workers had nothing to do at all.

She said in the previous days, there was very little to do in the factory and it was clear to them that the company would close anytime.
“The meeting agreed that workers should remain at home since there was no work to be done in the factory.

For the past three or four days, they have been doing nothing at all, unlike the previous days where they had a bit to do,” the source said.
She said the meeting agreed that the workers should come on Friday morning to be briefed by the workers’ unions and shop stewards before being paid salaries for the last fortnight they worked for.

“Workers will only come to the factory on Friday at  9am where they will be briefed on other matters that will be discussed by the factory’s administration, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the workers’ unions, including the shop stewards, who will meet in the factory’s boardroom on Thursday (tomorrow),” the source said.

SMAWU Secretary General Zweli Sihlongonyane confirmed the news.
He said workers would remain at home until Friday, where they would meet them to brief them on pending issues which they would look into tomorrow.
Sihlongonyane said they would also get paid for the last fortnight they worked for while a date for their terminal benefits would be released in due course.

Efforts to get a comment from Tex Ray Human Resource Manager Jackie Xu proved futile as his cellphone was off by the time of compiling this report.

The last call was made at 8:27pm.
However, in a previous interview, Xu mentioned that they could not afford to pay the workers more days for doing nothing and that was why they wanted them to stop coming to work.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: