An international
delegation of union leaders traveling in Swaziland is calling on the government
to guarantee the rights of workers to freely form unions and exercise freedom
of speech and assembly, and says repressive legislation used by police against
union activities still has not been addressed by Parliament, even as the government continues to imprison
human rights activists for exercising their right to freedom of speech, writes Tula Connell at Solidarity
Center.
Led by Wellington
Chibebe, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) deputy
general secretary, the fact-finding group is looking into the ongoing
government repression directed at Swazi union leaders and human rights
proponents, and plans to issue a report to the ITUC and to several members of
the European Parliament by the end of May.
Just days before the
delegation arrived on May 14 2015, the Swaziland government announced it had
registered the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), an action it has
refused to take for the past three years.
But delegation members
say they are not celebrating the action because the government “did not do more
than it was supposed to do,” says Jos Williams, president of the AFL-CIO
Metropolitan Washington Labor Council, speaking from Swaziland. “We do not see
that as a victory of any kind.” Williams is among a six-member delegation that
includes a representative from the Congress of South Africa Trade Unions (COSATU).
In fact, two days after
the government announced TUCOSWA’s official registration, police massed outside
a meeting of TUCOSWA affiliates in a show of force, according to TUCOSWA
Secretary-General Vincent Ncongwane.
“All that has been told
(by the government) to the world is just playing to the public gallery,”
Ncongwane says, while the reality of repression in a monarchical government
that outlaws political parties continues. Twice this year, police have broken up TUCOSWA union meetings, injuring a union leader in the process. On May
Day, brave union members held rallies despite a government ban on
public gatherings.
The ITUC is demanding the government repeal anti-terrorism laws that enable it to
imprison union leaders and others who call for democracy; provide full
recognition of union activities in accordance with international laws; and
support freedom of speech, assembly and association.
“The government must meet
the demands the ITUC delegation has made if the ITUC is to give a favorable
report by the end of the month,” Williams says. “From my standpoint, the
actions of the government have not been very encouraging. Yes, they have
recognized the union, but regarding the other demands we made, there has been
no response.”
Delegation members also
sought to visit political prisoners, some of whom have been held for two years.
So far, says Williams, they “have gotten the run-around” in efforts “to see our
comrades in jail and look at the conditions.” (You can sign a LaborStart
petition demanding their release. If you Tweet, use the hashtag #SwaziJustice.)
In June 2014, the U.S.
government took the rare step of suspending African Growth and Opportunity Act
(AGOA) trade benefits for Swaziland, citing the Swazi government’s
systematic violations of fundamental worker rights, including refusal to
legally recognize TUCOSWA. In addition, the 2014 U.S. State Department human
rights report cited serious human rights violations in Swaziland, including
arbitrary or unlawful killings by the government or its agents and severely
restricted freedom of assembly, including violence against protestors.
Given the level of
harassment and repression, Williams says he “came here seeking to encourage”
union leaders, but instead found that “they are standing tall in the face of
adversity.
“It is rewarding to me as
a trade unionist to have drawn strength from these individuals.”
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