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Swazi transport union wins agreement on recruitment
29 January 2010
A union in Swaziland has won an agreement paving the way for it to recruit more than 7000 passenger transport workers nationwide.
The ITF-affiliated Swaziland Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (STAWU) signed the agreement with Manzini City Council on 21 January, staving off a union protest action. The action had been planned in protest over the city council’s refusal to allow the STAWU to recruit drivers of buses and passenger vans – or “combis” – as well as conductors; some of them had been transferred to a satellite bus and combi station without consultation, leaving them financially worse off.
The union informed the Labour Advisory Board of the city council’s stance and announced that the protest action would take place from 22-29 January. However, this was called off after Simanga Shongwe, secretary general of the union, signed an agreement with Manzini City Council in the presence of the minister for housing. The agreement concedes to the unions’ demands.
Nkosinathi Simelane, a STAWU representative, said: “The agreement was a victory for the organisation and the passenger transport workers and operators. The city council was not only forced to succumb unconditionally to the demands of the workers, but it also helped advertise the union throughout the country - the story of the protest action received full coverage in the daily newspapers and electronic media.
“The agreement has been widely accepted by the passenger workers and we are now proceeding with the recruitment exercise. This sector has a potential of more than 7000 members.”
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