18 October 2018

The Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland welcomes the decision of Swazi Africa (PTY) LTD of accepting to implement the 11 percent wage increase as agreed between our glorious worker organization and various Textile and Apparel Industry employers in September 2018. Our members at Swazi Africa were left out on the agreed increases as a result of the fact that the company was ill-advised by fake lawyers and or labour consultants who advised same that the recognition agreement entered into between the company and SPRAWU, a union which amalgamated with others to form ATUSWA was null and void. The legally flawed advice was that since SPRAWU is defunct, the recognition agreement was longer existing.

A meeting was held between the union and the company after the honorable Industrial Court in ICC No. dismissed Swazi Africa’s application for rescission with cost on punitive scale. In the meeting the company accepted the FACT that it was ill-advised and it is willing to work with ATUSWA going forward. We hold no grudges; we are prepared to continue carrying out our duties in a responsible manner, even with Swazi Africa because maintaining sound Industrial Relations is paramount to our organization for as long as employers accept that the union is not merely a bridge between employers and the workers but that it is not anything beside the workers themselves.

We call upon all employers within the Textile and Apparel Industry to adopt the wage increases as agreed to by a majority of employers regardless of the fact that we are recognized or not recognized by those employers. The life difficulties faced by workers within the Textile and Apparel Industry is the same and if employers want to keep their employees, they have no other alternative but to align themselves with the majority.

Released by

Wonder Mkhonza

Secretary General