No jobs: Court clerks working without pay
An impeccable source within the judiciary system raised the issue of the court clerks stating that some of them have been there for sometime but not yet employed, despite have to be at work daily. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllllllllllllllllll
MBABANE – The costly and extreme measures endured by individuals who use their hard earned resources to fund the free services they render to the judiciary.
A number of Court Clerks are alleged to be affected by the scarcity of job opportunities, which has led to them to working as volunteers.
While unemployed some of these individuals in the volunteering program are not informed on the days they can assist but they are expected to provide their services daily.
The court clerk voluntary services is said to be not limited to their free time but requires them to even fork out funds to commute to and from work.
It is said the volunteers carry out their duties with the understanding that they stand a chance to be hired when posts are available, although there is nothing formalised according to a source.
Volunteering is described by Wikipedia as a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labour for community service.
Trained
Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work and others serve on an as-needed basis, such as in response to a natural disaster.
Meanwhile in other organisations or government such services are also called job shadowing for graduates who are given a stipend to learn and gain the necessary skills.
However, the judiciary is allowing this graduates or people to volunteer their services without any assistance to meet them halfway with stipends.
The courts are alleged to have amassed a number of court clerks who provided important services for the judiciary, yet they are not receiving any remuneration/ payment.
The court clerks are said to be going through hardships as they are working just like fulltime employees because the need for their services is there.
The source said the programme has placed the volunteers at a disadvantage, because they had to be present at work daily, even at the time of the skyrocketing transportation costs.
The source said the judiciary should meet the volunteering clerks halfway at least with transport fees and a stipend for toiletries.
Touched
An officer working within the judiciary service said he learned about the court clerks by accident and he was touched.
He said on enquiry he was informed the volunteering programme is a waiting programme that has been ongoing for years, when there is a vacant position these clerks are afforded the chance to be employed.
However, their volunteering had a huge bearing on their resources, because they needed to fund their own transport and refreshments whilst at work.
The officer said whilst he was meant to understand the arrangement he felt the judiciary needed to review and understand the challenges of the clerks.
The officer said while a number of workers were calling for the cost-of-living-adjustment (CoLA), those with in the volunteering programme were suffering in silence.
He said he would not have learned about the issue of the clerks, until he offered a lift to one of the recognised faces walking without even hitchhiking.
“I was shocked to see her at that place walking and only to learn that she is traveling daily, in order to be at work and she was a volunteer not that she was serving bus-fare but she did not have any,” said the officer.
The officer said at first he did not believe it, until he later learned from other colleagues who all said they don’t know of any arrangements of the clerks.
He said on his enquiries he learned that no one wanted to openly talk about the issue in fear it would cause challenges that would reduce their chances of employment.
The Eswatini News randomly speaking to the court clerks
“While a number of workers are calling for the cost-of-living adjustment, those in the volunteering programme are suffering in silence.”
they preferred not take chances to openly talk about the issue.
“Don’t start something you cannot find a solution to, otherwise it will cause us to be victimised, destroy our lives and remove any chance of getting employed in the near future,” warned one of the court clerks.
The court clerk said they preferred to suffer in silence than risk the only hope of being employed if there was chance availed.
“It’s a pity we volunteer on our own free will and we have no other choice but to keep on suffering as we cannot demand anything because we are not employees,” adds one of the court clerks.
Difficult
The court clerks said it was a difficult situation but they continue to endure the challenges as sometimes they get assistance from other officers.
Meanwhile, those who had already been hired said it was a challenging situation because another thing that had made things worse is the government hiring freeze policy.
The court clerk who spoke on condition of anonymity said what they realised the system although not formally recognised as been consistent in ensuring they were given first preferences when there were vacant posts available.
She further disclosed that some of the vacancies also open up when some of the clerks who volunteer were law students and when they got admitted they vacant their positions.
The court clerk when called to respond to the judiciary officer who suggested a stipend to assist the volunteering clerks, she said that could go a long way in reducing the stress of where to get transport money yet knowing very well you are not going to be paid at the end of the month.
“I know very well the stress associated with the programme where I lived on handouts with other people complaining I was poor with financial management as I was always hitchhiking” said the court clerk.
She said it was not even easier defend yourself because people are convinced you are working.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Communications department did not comment on the issue.
The Eswatini News wanted to know how many court clerks were working as volunteers in the country with the hope of being afforded a chance to be employed when there was a vacant position.
The Eswatini News also wanted to know how the Government Hiring freeze policy has affected the operations of the courts.
The ministry of justice and constitutional affairs had had promised to respond to.