Trade unionists in
Swaziland are reporting that a textile factory has sacked workers for wanting
to join a union.
The Amalgamated Trade Union
of Swaziland (ATUSWA) said Taiwanese-owned company Far East Textiles in Matsapha
also threatened to stop workers’ pay and closed down a factory.
In a
statement circulated on social media
on Thursday (22 March 2018) ATUSWA said, ‘Just for joining our organization and
for showing interest to join ATUSWA the company unleashed terror to the workers
by threatening not to pay their wages, closing down the factory and dismissing
those suspected to have joined the union.’
It added the company tried
to coerce workers to beat up union officials and organisers and when they would
not it sent management to take photographs of all those seen interacting with
the union.
ATUSWA has asked the Swazi Department of Labour to intervene.
ATUSWA has asked the Swazi Department of Labour to intervene.
Textile workers are among the most exploited in
Swaziland, where King Mswati III rules as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute
monarch. In 2015, Swaziland was named as one of the ten worst countries for
working people in the world, in a report
from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
ATUSWA is campaigning for a minimum wage of at least
E3,000 (about US$250) per month. At present, it
is reported most textile workers earn between E1,300 and E1,500 per month.
They are supported by the Trade Union Congress of
Swaziland (TUCOSWA).
In July 2014 a survey of the Swazi textile industry
undertaken by TUCOSWA revealed workers were subjected to harsh and sometimes
abusive conditions, many of the kingdom’s labour laws were routinely violated
by employers, and union activists were targeted by employers for punishment.
More than 90 percent of workers surveyed reported being punished by management
for making errors, not meeting quotas or missing shifts. More than 70 percent
of survey respondents reported witnessing verbal and physical abuse in their workplace
by supervisors.
In its report
on human rights in Swaziland in 2013, the US State Department
said wage arrears, particularly in the garment industry, were a problem. It
said, ‘workers complained that wages were low and that procedures for getting
sick leave approved were cumbersome in some factories. The minimum monthly wage
for a skilled employee in the industry - including sewing machinists and
quality checkers - was E1,128 (US$113 at the time). Minimum wage laws did not
apply to the informal sector, where many workers were employed.
‘The garment sector also has a standard 48-hour
workweek, but workers alleged that working overtime was compulsory because they
had to meet unattainable daily and monthly production quotas.’
In September 2014 hundreds
of workers at Tex Ray were affected by poisonous chemical fumes
at the factory in Matsapha. Many needed hospital treatment and the factory was
closed for several days.
See also
EXPLOITATION
BY TAIWAN TEXTILES
MINISTER
RAIDS TEXTILE FACTORY
SWAZI
TEXTILE PAY STRIKE ILLEGAL
SWAZI
GOVT AIDS TAIWAN EXPLOITATION
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