UNIONS NOW RECRUITING CONDUCTORS

MANZINI – Bus conductors are now joining a union affiliated to the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA).
Drivers are also joining the Swaziland Transport and Allied Workers Union (STAWU).

STAWU is presently on a recruitment drive to get more members from the transport industry.
Bus workers have not yet been fully unionised. This has resulted in unionists launching the campaign to recruit them.
Bus workers said they wanted STAWU and TUCOSWA to fight for their rights.

They are generally feared for their hostile style of demonstration and rioting when they are on strikes. They burn tyres on the road, block traffic, carry branches and run around the bus terminus intimidating the public.
Almost everything comes to a standstill when they refuse to work.

Commuters are usually left with no transport and walk on foot to their homes and others hitchhike. The police usually work hard to calm them down.  They sometimes chase after the police; forcing them to retreat. 
There were fears in government circles that STAWU and TUCOSWA recruited bus conductors to beef up strike actions.

This has been denied by Vincent Ncongwane, the TUCOSWA General Secretary and Simanga Shongwe, the Secretary General of STAWU. The recruitment drive started in Manzini and is proceeding to Mbabane in the coming weeks.
The Times SUNDAY spoke to some public transport vehicles workers and it turned out that some had already joined the union while others have not.
A group of more than 10 bus conductors surrounded the Times SUNDAY news team and spoke in unison.

They did not want to reveal their names but allowed this newspaper to take their pictures. Others, however, declined to be photographed.
Those who were photographed said their names should not be mentioned.

“Our bosses don’t comply with the gazette; they pay us E800 per month and further insult us that we are stealing money from them. They take advantage of us because we are not educated,” said one bus conductor charged.
Another one interjected: “They got it wrong this time as we are going to punish them by joining TUCOSWA. I haven’t yet joined STAWU but I will soon join this union as my colleagues have already done so.”
They said some kombi owners made a monthly income of E32 000. This excludes, they said, fuel costs.
“Those who service the Lobamba-Manzini route are making a profit of E20 000 and are not telling the truth when they say there’s no money in the transport industry. In fact, we collect the money on a daily basis and we know what we are talking about,” one of the drivers said.

The bus workers also complained that their bosses did not remit the monthly statutory contribution to the Swaziland National Provident Fund (SNPF).
“If one of us dies, there’s no contribution from the employer towards burial costs,” another driver said.
“One driver died some weeks ago and we had to contribute towards his funeral expenses. It is sad because our employers make huge profits here.”
They said the Labour Department had failed to address their concerns.

They said they also paid traffic fines from their own pockets. Public transport workers said they started work at 5am and knocked off at 8pm.
“We are not allowed to take leave and are not paid overtime allowances,” they complained.
Another critical grievance is that they do not get double pay when they work during public holidays.

The Times SUNDAY wanted to know why they were stealing from the daily collections. They responded at once: “Who says we steal from them?
“Where’s the evidence? They have been accusing us of stealing from their coffers for many years. The accusations are based on nothing but cheap talk meant to justify the peanuts that they give us on a monthly basis.”
They continued to criticise their bosses: “We would be wearing elegant clothes if we were stealing from the daily collections.

Why am I wearing cheap clothes if I have extra cash?”
Another driver complained that he had worked for the same employer for 14 years but his salary remained at E1 900 per month.
“We will strike, I am being honest with you. we will strike and when we strike, let me tell you that the nation will know that we have embarked on a real strike,” the disgruntled driver threatened.

Those in Mbabane said they heard that there was ‘good move’ by their colleagues in Manzini to join TUCOSWA.
“TUCOSWA is the way to go if you want to push these greedy bosses to the corner,” one driver in Mbabane said.

“Most of us haven’t yet joined the union but we will join it.”
He said he expected STAWU to sensitise them anytime next week.

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