GLOBAL WEEK OF ACTION - UNIONS

Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions

Statement

18 August 2011

SOURCE

Statement on the Global Week of Action 5 – 9 September 2011.

The Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, committed to its obligation of being a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in Swaziland, wishes to inform its associates and the general peace living peoples of the world about the global week of action on Swaziland scheduled for the 5th to the 9th September 2011.

The weeklong action is a continuation of the agenda for genuine social and political transformation initiated by the Swaziland United Democratic Front and planned by its campaign wing, the Swaziland Democracy Campaign which the Federation aligns fully with its programs.

Mass demonstration in five town centres will characterize the action from the 5th to the 9th September, 2011. The Federation together with its allies, the Swaziland Federation of Labour and the independent teachers union, Swaziland National Association of Teachers have already lodged joint protests action notices in terms of the Industrial Relations Act procedures for the legalization of the week long action.

The demands amongst others include;

The abrogation of the operation of labour brokers

Withdrawal of a circular awarding hefty salaries and benefits to politicians.

Non taxation of terminal benefits

Judicial crisis

Demand for the hasty opening of the University of Swaziland

The underlining demand is the call for a democratic Swaziland, the unbanning of political parties and the release of political prisoners.

We hereby call for solidarity from all genuine friends of the struggling people of Swaziland.

The show of solidarity may not be limited to the following actions:

Petition deliveries to the nearest Swaziland mission offices in your countries

Any regional or international office of importance i.e. SADC, AU, UN.

Petitions may also be delivered to some strategic countries with direct economic and political benefits to Swaziland, the Republic of South Africa, The United Kingdom, America, the European Union etc.

Comrades are hereby further invited to join the masses of Swaziland literally on the streets as they will be liberating themselves from the archaic, draconian and repressive Tinkhundla rule.

See also

GLOBAL WEEK OF ACTION - SSN
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/08/global-week-of-action-ssn.html

NO PETITIONS IN TODAY’S PROTEST

The following is a news report from the Times of Swaziland, the only independent daily newspaper in the kingdom, about the protest march taking place in Mbabane today (17 November 2010).

SOURCE

No petitions in today’s march

MBABANE – The country’s organised labour unions will proceed with today’s ‘encouragement demonstration’ to be held in the capital city.

However, this time around, there will be no petitions to be delivered to any government ministry, secretary general of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), Muzi Mhlanga said yesterday.

Instead, he said they would only deliver speeches at certain points around town while carrying on with the demonstration.

SNAT is one of the organisers of the demonstration, alongside the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU) and the Swaziland Federation of Labour (SFL). Mhlanga said they expected every worker, as well as the unemployed, to be part of the demonstration because the issues that would be addressed touched on every person’s livelihood.

"We will be demonstrating tomorrow (today 17 November 2010), definitely. We will meet at the Coronation Park in the morning and then march around town but no petition will be delivered," Mhlanga said.

He went on: "We will address issues like the Public Service Bill, the E55 SEC charge as well as Circular No.1 of 2010 [that gives the Prime Minister and MPs massive pay-offs at the next national elections]. These issues affect everyone, so we expect all people to be part of the demonstration."

Mhlanga said transport to the demonstration has been made available by the different organising unions for members to be able to attend the protest.

"We expect teachers to attend in large numbers. SNAT has prepared transport and we hope other organisations have done the same. Teachers who need to know more about transport details can call SNAT offices," Mhlanga said.

Today’s ‘encouragement demonstration’ is a substitute for the three-day mass protest action that was set to commence this morning until Friday.

The mass protest was called-off as labour unions agreed to give negotiations with government a chance to continue.

Mduduzi Gina, the SFTU Secretary General, said the decision to shelve the three-day mass action was to allow for negotiations to continue between government and the labour unions pertaining to the issues that had given rise to the proposed demonstration in the first place.

Gina said during meetings of the Labour Advisory Board, government had shown progress in so far as addressing some of the issues on the table is concerned.

Mphandlana’s bid to stop cops

MANZINI-Political activist, Mphandlana Shongwe, who has in the past been blocked from attending demonstrations, has since decided to file an urgent application interdicting the police from blocking his participation in the marches.

Shongwe yesterday told this newspaper that he had received legal assistance in drafting papers he will personally file in the court very early today interdicting the police from harassing him during demonstrations.

Shongwe said he should have served the police yesterday but found that by the time he finished drafting his papers they had closed their offices at the Attorney General offices.

When asked who will represent him, Shongwe said he will represent himself.

In the recent past, Shongwe has been forcefully removed whenever there were demonstrations. He is either taken out of the locality where the action takes place or further house arrests.

The Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC) has called a one day mass demonstration today.

SWAZI TORTURE P.M. ‘DECLARES WAR’

More people and organisations are lining up to slam Barnabas Dlamini, Swaziland’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister, who called for pro-democracy dissidents and foreigners to be tortured.

Swaziland’s labour unions want him to recant and withdraw his statement that has made headlines across the world.

Dlamini said he wanted to use ‘Sipakatane’ otherwise known as ‘bastinado’, a form of torture that involves flogging the bare soles of a person’s feet with a spiked wooden or metal implement to temporarily or permanently cripple them, on dissidents and foreigners who supported democracy in Swaziland, ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

Union leaders say this statement amounts to a ‘declaration of war against foreigners as well as Swazis’.

The Times of Swaziland, the kingdom’s only independent daily newspaper, quoted Mduduzi Gina, Secretary General of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU), saying the torture will be used on those fighting for people’s rights.

Dlamini had been annoyed that trade unionists from South Africa had visited Swaziland this week to show solidarity with Swazis fighting for their human rights as part of the Global Day of Action for democracy in Swaziland.

Gina said Dlamini’s statement was ‘a clear indication of war against citizens of other countries. We request the prime minister to withdraw the statement for peace to prevail in the region and to allow government to work in peace with civil society organisations in the region.’

The Swaziland Federation of Labour (SFL) said Dlamini’s statement was not going to help the kingdom in any way and described it as ‘cheap talk’.

‘What law did we break by enlisting people from outside? He should say which law we broke instead of threatening us,’ SFL Secretary-General Vincent Ncongwane said.

He said the PM took advantage of his access to the media to issue a statement that he would not repeat to the outside world.

Meanwhile, the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) said workers had a right to express their grievances as per the Industrial Relations Act which gives them freedom of assembly and association.

SWAZI MARCH TO GO AHEAD

Swazi democracy activists say march to proceed despite police intimidation

By The Associated Press (CP)

MANZINI, Swaziland — Democracy activists in Swaziland say they will go ahead with protests despite what they call police intimidation.

On the eve of Tuesday’s march, (7 September 2010) police deported South African trade union leaders who had come to help Swazis plan the protest. Police spokeswoman Wendy Hleta says 'we felt that they had no right to interfere' in the affairs of sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarchy.

Minutes before the march was to begin, Mduzi Gina, head of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, said police raided federation headquarters, taking away South Africans who had been camping there and confiscating signs and pamphlets that had been prepared for the protest.

Gina says police are confirming the march is legal, ‘but they are suppressing it.’