Public sector workers in
Swaziland were blocked by police from entering the High Court to hear a case
relating to their claim for salary increases.
It came after the
government asked the High Court to ban a march by public sector unions to
protest that a salary review report had not been released.
The Swazi Government in
the small kingdom ruled by King Mswati III, who is sub-Saharan Africa’s last
absolute monarch, told the court the march would be a breach of state security.
The High Court was due to
meet on Tuesday (24 November 2015), but the case could not go ahead because the
unions’ lawyers did not have time to prepare their case.
The Swaziland National Association
of Teachers (SNAT) Secretary General Muzi Mhlanga told local media they had not
been allowed access to the High Court.
‘We had come here to
listen to a case in which we are involved with the government. It is disturbing
to find that we are now denied access to the High Court, which is a public
place,’ the Swazi Observer quoted him
saying.
The protest was to be organised
by the Public Sector Associations (PSA). The PSA includes SNAT, the Swaziland
National Association of Civil Servants (SNACS), Swaziland Nurses Association
(SNA), and Swaziland National Association of Government Accounting Personnel
(SNAGAP).
Members of the PSA had intended
to go to the offices of the Ministry of Public Service to demand release of a
salary review report.
Swazi Government lawyers said the PSA had not consulted the Mbabane
Municipal Council and the Hhohho regional police about the proposed march.
In Swaziland at least 14
days’ notice must be given for a march and police permission obtained.
In June 2015, Swaziland
was named as one of the ten worst countries for working people in the
world, in a report
from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
A week after that report was issued, the
International Labour Organization (ILO)
told Swaziland it must stop interfering in the activities of trade unions;
ensure workers’ organizations are fully assured of their rights and ensure they
have the autonomy and independence they need to represent workers.
The ILO placed Swaziland in a ‘special paragraph’ in
its annual report to highlight the deficiencies in the kingdom’s commitment to
freedom of association.
See also
KINGDOM
IN TOP 10 WORST FOR WORKERS
ILO URGES SWAZI WORKERS’ REFORM
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