Hiding SNAT president to get pay if ... – SG
SALARY:
Education PS said they explained to them (SNAT) that his salary was stopped because government did not know his whereabouts. She said a salary was supposed to be paid to someone who had worked.
MANZINI – If SNAT President Mbongwa Dlamini, who is currently in hiding, can report for work then his salary will be reinstated.
This was revealed by Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Secretary General (SG) Lot Vilakati during their extraordinary general meeting, which ended up being amended to be a caucus that was held at SNAT Centre yesterday. He said this when updating their members about the issue of their leader.
The SG said this was according to the Ministry of Education and Training, which they met through the Acting Principal Secretary (PS), Constance Vilakati, on Thursday.
When addressing the members about the issues around their president, he started by highlighting what he had gone through since assuming the position of being the leader of the teachers’ union in 2018. He said in 2019, he was suspended from work (Mhubhe High School) for about two years for allegedly not completing his scheme book among other things.
Later on, he said the suspension was lifted, but he was transferred from Mhubhe High School to Moyeni High School. He said the union’s national executive committee (NEC) tried to challenge the transfer because the decision for a transfer should come from the educator.
Threats
After that, the SG said the ‘commander’, who was unknown back then, issued threats against anyone who would report for work on August 8 and 9, 2022. He said following the threats, their president warned their members to be safe during the two days by staying at home and he was summoned by the National Commissioner (NATCOM) of Police, William Tsitsibala Dlamini, who demanded to know the ‘commander’ and later on he was charged by the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) in connection with his warning to teachers.
Once more, he said after winning elections in two branches in 2022, their president was told that his charges relating to his suspension while he was at Mhubhe High School had been reinstated. He then said he was later slapped with 109 charges of absenteeism, which were followed by the suspension of his salary in October 2022, even though he had not appeared before any disciplinary committee.
Thereafter, he said as a union, they reported the matter (suspension of salary), to the office of the labour commissioner as they believed that what government was doing amounted to unfair labour practice. He added that they also challenged the matter in court and it was still pending.
On the other hand, he said since their president was not receiving a salary, the SNAT NEC took a decision to pay him (using members’ subscriptions) an amount equivalent to his salary C3. He said when paying him, they started by paying his debts and gave him the balance, which was his net salary. “Some members asked how long will this arrangement last? We agreed that this arrangement will last until his salary is reinstated,” the secretary general said.
PoliCe
He said during their meeting with the ministry on Thursday, which was held after having a discussion with the police chief, the acting PS told them that their president should go to work and sign the time book and then his salary would be reinstated.
He said the ministry said it was safe for him to go to work. “We told the ministry that the president’s life will be in its hands in the sense that if anything happens to him, either when going to or from work, it will be held accountable,” the unionist said.
Later on, this publication asked the SG if their president would go to work when schools open for the second term on Tuesday, he said that was his (president’s) personal decision to make.
When contacted, the SNAT president said no decision had been made yet regarding his return to the country. He said this was because they were still assessing the situation. He said once the situation had been analysed, a decision would be made.
The acting PS in the Ministry of Education and Training confirmed that they had informed SNAT and their president that if he could return to work, his salary would be reinstated.
She said they explained to them that Dlamini’s salary was stopped because government did not know his whereabouts as he was allegedly not going to work. He said a salary was supposed to be paid to someone who had worked. “We have not reached a stage of firing him,” the acting PS said.
Regarding his safety, she said they did not dwell much in this matter because they did not provide security. She said they only entertained it because the leaders of SNAT had informed them that they had met the Office of the NATCOM of Police about it. After learning that they had also opened a case at Mafutseni Police Station, she commended them and said they had done the right thing.