Trade unionists and democracy campaigners in Swaziland
are angry at an apparent attempt by the Swaziland King and his government to create
a ‘puppet’ organisation to represent workers at the International Labour Organisation
(ILO) meeting, presently taking place in Geneva.
News is emerging from the kingdom, ruled by King Mswati
III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, that an organisation called
the Swaziland Workers Economic Empowerment Union (SWEEU) has been formed by
Royalist supporters to take the place of TUCOSWA (the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland), a trade union confederation
deregistered by the government in April 2012.
Activists believe SWEEU has been created so it can attend
the ILO in Geneva as Swaziland’s formal representative of workers in the
kingdom. Swazi unionists and democracy
activists say TUCOSWA is the only group that should be allowed representation
in Geneva. Despite the deregistration they believe TUCOSWA is the legitimate representative
of Swazi workers.
The Swaziland Diaspora Platform (SDP), a prodemocracy
activist group, said SWEEU made a formal application to the ILO for recognition,
but it was turned down.
In a statement, SDP said it was ‘in disbelief’ that the
Swazi government had tried to ensure its ‘puppet’ trade union attended the ILO
conference.
In the UK, Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trade
Union Congress (TUC), said, ‘This latest risible attempt to prevent the voices
of ordinary Swazis from being heard will be rejected by everyone who believes
in democracy and workers’ rights.’
The Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC) called the SWEEU,
a ‘mysterious organisation’ comprised of ‘completely unrepresentative stooges
who have been in secret talks with the regime for some time’.
TUCOSWA was registered by the Swazi Government in March
2012 but deregistered within weeks after TUCOSWA announced it would be
campaigning against holding the 2013 national elections, because all political
parties and opposition groups are banned in Swaziland and cannot take part.
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