Swaziland is once again under the international searchlight
after police broke up a meeting of trade unionists who wanted to discuss the
need for democracy in the kingdom.
The Trades Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) was
prevented from meeting on Saturday (28 February 2015). Political parties are
banned from contesting elections in Swaziland and all pro-democracy groups have
been banned under the Suppression of Terrorism Act.
Condemnation of Swaziland, which is ruled by King
Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, came from all over the
world.
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) attacked
the regime of King Mswati for its ‘latest act of anti-union repression’.
ITUC reported police
used numerous tactics to intimidate workers and to prevent the meeting. It
said, ‘The landlord of the Bosco Skills Centre Hall in Manzini, where the
meeting was scheduled to take place, was falsely told that he was violating
Swazi laws by renting the hall to TUCOSWA.
‘When the trade union meeting was relocated to the
Swaziland National Teachers Association Centre, police mounted roadblocks
around the country and placed uniformed and plain-clothes police in front of
the centre. Despite the intimidating police presence and roadblocks, more than
100 workers made it to the SNAT centre, but police, led by Regional
Commissioner Richard Mngometulu and Senior Operations Officer Josefa Bhembe,
insisted that the meeting could not take place.’
Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary, said, ‘This
is a clear and serious violation of both Swazi and international law which both
guarantee the right of workers to assemble and to discuss socio-economic issues
impacting their lives. Violations against the fundamental rights of workers
have become systemic in Swaziland. The government must conduct an immediate
investigation without delay, hold the responsible police officers accountable
and reform its archaic anti-union laws and practices.’
Kommunal, the Swedish Municipal Workers’ Union,
which has 550,000 members, wrote to the Swazi Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini to,
‘strongly condemn the systematic interference by police in lawful and
legitimate trade union activities’.
Annelie Nordström, Chairperson of Kommunal, wrote, ‘We
urge you to conduct an investigation and hold the responsible police officers
accountable without delay. Police tactics to intimidate workers from holding a
legitimate trade union meeting constitute a serious violation of both Swazi and
international law.’
The Solidarity
Center of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial
Organizations (AFL-CIO) reported, ‘The police action is the latest move
against worker and human rights in Swaziland. Swaziland authorities
continue their nearly three-year refusal to grant legal registration to
TUCOSWA, despite the federation making another application in December 2014
under the country’s recently amended Industrial Relations Act.’
It added, ‘Earlier in June 2014 the U.S. 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.
Swaziland’s trade unions support
AGOA, but maintain that the country must meet benchmarks of the agreement,
which include respecting human rights and labor rights.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU),
said, ‘The royal family regime continues to wage a relentless attack on the
rights and dignity of workers. The banning of TUCOSWA and the continued attack
on the rights of workers to associate, organise and speak out reflects a regime
in crisis and desperately frustrated.’
The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN), which is
banned in the kingdom, said there was no law to stop people talking about the
need for multi-party democracy. It said, ‘The reasons given by the police for
refusing the meeting to take place was that “Deliberating on political parties
would have bad implications for the country.”’
See also
SWAZI
POLICE HALT DEMOCRACY MEETING
