SWAZI GOVT ATTACKS TRADE UNIONS

The newly-formed Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) has been deregistered by the government which is claiming it was incorrectly registered in the first place.

This means TUCOSWA, the only trade union federation in the kingdom, is not recognised by the state and cannot represent unions and workers on any issues.

Speculation is rife in the kingdom, ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, that the deregulation came in retaliation after TUCOSWA resolved it would oppose the national elections due in 2013. TUCOSWA said the elections were fake because all political parties and opposition groups are banned in Swaziland and cannot take part.

Majahenkaba Dlamini, the Swazi Attorney General, revealed this week that the Commissioner of Labour had incorrectly registered TUCOSWA when it was formed last month (March 2012). He said although there was provision in the Industrial Relations Act 2000 to register individual trade unions no mechanism existed to register federations such as TUCOSWA. He instructed TUCOSWA to be deregistered.

This ruling comes as a surprise because TUCOSWA was born out of the amalgamation of the Swaziland Federation of Labour (SFL) and the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU), both were federations and were registered with and recognised by the Swazi Government. If the present ruling concerning TUCOSWA is correct then neither the SFL nor SFTU should have been registered.

Also, business federations such as the Federation of Swaziland Employers and Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Swaziland Business Community are registered under the same Act.

TUCOSWA is due to take part in national protests on Thursday (12 April) as part of a wider campaign organised by pro-democracy groups in the kingdom.

Pro-democracy activist Wandile Dludlu told the AFP news agency, ‘This is a crackdown on the pro-democracy forces as a means to weaken the forces for change in light of the upcoming April 12 protests.’ Dludlu, who coordinates the umbrella Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) organisation, said protests would go ahead despite the setbacks.

The suspicion that the move to deregistered TUCOSWA was political follows a resolution by the federation to oppose next year’s elections, taken during its founding congress in March. The resolution stated, ‘The current system of governance in Swaziland is one that is undemocratic, repressive and dictatorial and that the federation, shall cause for a total boycott of the national elections in 2013 unless the elections are held under a multiparty system.’

The Swazi News newspaper reported that following this decision, the acting Commissioner of Labour Khabo Dlamini wrote to TUCOSWA complaining the resolution was ‘purely political’ and stating that TUCOSWA was not permitted to engage in politics.

‘The Commissioner of Labour wishes to express her shock and dismay at the sudden change of the objectives for which TUCOSWA was registered. We view this as a serious misrepresentation of facts, which were material and influenced the commissioner in granting registration of the federation,’ she wrote.

See also

SWAZI UNION TO BOYCOTT ELECTIONS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/03/swazi-union-to-boycott-elections.html

NEW UNION PRESSES FOR DEMOCRACY

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/03/new-union-presses-for-democracy.html

EU TELLS SWAZI KING 'MAKE CHANGES'

The European Union (EU) has told Swaziland’s King Mswati III he should take the lead in moving the kingdom to democracy.

An EU delegation in Swaziland has backed the Phadimisa Bokamoso ba Africa- led campaign for full democracy in the kingdom, ruled by King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

King Mswati snubbed a three-day convention on democracy held in Swaziland last weekend (29 – 31 July 2011).

Amadou Traoré, EU Chargé d’Affaires to Swaziland, said EU fully supported the process that led to political talks on Swaziland facilitated by Phadimisa Bokamoso ba Africa.

Traore said the EU delegation would take civil society organisations’ demand for dialogue, as requested, to the Swazi Government.

‘But these discussions you are calling for on the future of your country must be an only Swazi affair. It is not for any foreign individual or organisation to interfere in this process.

This is your country; the EU cannot and will not do the work for you or in your place,’ the Times of Swaziland reported him saying.

Traoré said civil society organisations needed to convince their authorities the time for building a new Swaziland had indeed come. He said the advances contained in the Constitution on the freedom of association and the bill of rights, just to name a few provisions, should be fully implemented, the Times reported.

‘But more importantly you also need to convince your fellow citizens that this is the only way forward in a rapidly changing continent where people from Morocco to Egypt and youths from Senegal to Malawi are taking to the streets to defend their democratic rights to have more say in the running of their countries,’ he said.

See also

DEMOCRATIC SWAZILAND CONVENTION

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/07/democratic-swaziland-convention.html

UNIONS QUIT SWAZI DEMOCRACY TALKS

AFP

30 July 2011

SOURCE

Swaziland civil society democracy talks stumble

MBANANE, Swaziland — Talks on democratic reforms in Africa's last absolute monarchy stumbled TODAY (30 July 2011) as the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, the country's largest labour group, walked out of a civil society meeting.

The ‘national convention’, which opened yesterday, aimed to bring together civil society groups to map out how the small southern African kingdom could begin negotiations toward multi-party democracy.

But the labour federation argued King Mswati III -- who snubbed the gathering after being invited to deliver an opening address -- had not shown a commitment to dialogue.

‘Our position is that the king has refused to entertain the question of dialogue. He said this as recently as last year. It would appear that instead of strengthening our mass power we are busy talking dialogue, a language that the king refuses to embrace,’ said national organiser Fundizwi Sikhondze.

Sikhondze said unions would rather return to the streets to resume the demonstrations that have shaken Swaziland in recent months.

Pro-democracy groups, AIDS activists and unions have staged unprecedented protests across the impoverished kingdom since April, complaining about an economic meltdown that is threatening the livelihoods of the country's 1.2 million people.

Swaziland is battling to stay solvent after last year losing 60 percent of its revenues from a regional customs union, the government's main source of income.

The government has frozen public-sector salaries and asked unions to accept pay cuts, leading to mass protests that have been violently put down by security forces.

Growing public resentment has lent momentum to calls for Mswati to step down.

The king -- whose fortune is estimated at $100 million -- is famous for his jet-set lifestyle and lavish spending on his 13 wives, each of whom has her own palace.

See also

SWAZI KING SNUBS DEMOCRACY TALKS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/07/swazi-king-snubs-democracy-talks.html

DEMOCRATIC SWAZILAND CONVENTION

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/07/democratic-swaziland-convention.html

WILL COPS SMASH DEMOCRACY TALKS?

The Council of Swaziland Churches has filed in an urgent application at the High Court to stop Swazi police closing down the three-day democracy convention being held in the kingdom this weekend.

The police successfully halted a previous meeting called by the organisers in March this year.

The Council wants the High Court to instruct the police it must allow the convention, which started yesterday (29 July 2011), to go ahead unmolested.

Specifically, the Council wants the court to issue an order ‘restraining the police from interrupting and interfering with the free movement of delegates and other invited guests and individuals for the purposes of participating in the meeting.’

The Council cites Section 26 of the Swaziland Constitution on freedom of movement in its action.

The convention is to allow civil society groups to discuss how Swaziland, ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, can be transformed into a democracy.

The Council and the South African-based NGO Phadimisa Bokamoso BaAfrica are engaged in a process they are calling Talks About Talks.

On 18 March, 2011, during the consultation process with civil society, the Swaziland Police stormed the meeting and demanded to know the agenda.

Police insisted that the meeting was being held unlawfully as no permission had been sought from the Commissioner of Police and the meeting had to be called off.

Khangeziwe Dlamini, General Secretary of the Council, said the Swaziland police have already said it wanted to stop and prevent this weekend’s meeting from proceeding as they did with the previous one.

See also

SWAZI KING SNUBS DEMOCRACY TALKS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/07/swazi-king-snubs-democracy-talks.html

DEMOCRATIC SWAZILAND CONVENTION

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/07/democratic-swaziland-convention.html

SWAZI KING SNUBS DEMOCRACY TALKS

AFP

29 July 2011

SOURCE

Mswati snubs democracy talks

Mbabane - Swazi King Mswati III turned down an invitation to attend talks today (29 July 2011)\on democratic reforms organised by civic society, including banned political movements and labour unions, officials said.

"We had invited the king as the head of state to officially open the event but we received communication that he won't attend," said Khangezile Dlamini, secretary of the Council of Churches.

"But that does not mean we won't continue," Dlamini told AFP.

The "national convention" was opening today with the main talks due on Saturday, aiming to map out a direction on how Africa's last absolute monarchy can begin negotiations towards democracy.

Dlamini said Swaziland needed a transition to democracy and therefore civic society groups had taken the initiative to give government a blueprint of how the country could achieve multi-party democracy.

"We see this as an opportunity for civic groups to meet and draw out a road map on how the country could begin the process of political negotiations," she said.

Political parties in Swaziland have been banned since 1973 and recently activists have been jailed and harassed by police.

Crumbling economy

Mswati faces growing dissent over his authoritarian rule and is blamed for the crumbling economy, as a deepening financial crisis has left his government unable to pay its bills.

Pro-democracy groups, Aids activists and labour unions have staged unprecedented protests across the impoverished kingdom since April, complaining about the economic meltdown which is threatening the livelihood of the 1.2 million population.

The country is seeking a bailout from neighbouring South Africa, after failing to secure loans from international lenders, which have insisted on reforms before granting loans.

Swaziland Federation of Labour secretary Vincent Ncongwane said unions will attend the convention to show their commitment to dialogue.

"Yes, we are attending. We don't want the regime to use our refusal to attend the convention as an excuse to seek the much needed bail-out, arguing that we don't want to talk," Ncongwane said.

See also

DEMOCRATIC SWAZILAND CONVENTION

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/07/democratic-swaziland-convention.html