Mpakeni management provide staff buses, rectify labour breaches
‘‘They also stated that currently three dump trucks had been registered and licenses obtained.’’
ABUSE:
The management is said to have presented to the minister a report following that he had given them seven days to address labour concerns raised by workers employed by the company.
MBABANE – The visit by Minister Phila Buthelezi to the under construction Mpakeni Dam at Sihlutse in the Shiselweni Region last week seems to have done the trick in addressing a variety of labour-related issues.
This is reflected in his report which his office has compiled after he returned to the site on Wednesday to ascertain progress that has been made to address issues raised by both workers and the management of the project.
He had first visited a week ago and promised to return to ascertain if any progress had been made.
During the second trip on Wednesday, Buthelezi, the Labour and Social Security Minister, met with the management of Sakhalalive Investments, the company responsible for the works at the construction site.
The management is said to have presented to the minister a report following that he had given them seven days to address labour concerns raised by workers employed by the company.
comPensation
Present during the meeting were Eswatini Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise Management and Engineers (ESWADE), Ministry of Labour Principal Secretary Makhosini Mndawe, Labour Commissioner Mthunzi Shabangu, Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration Commission (CMAC) executive director, officers of the ministry under the Localisation, Occupational Health and Safety, and Workmen’s Compensation sections.
The minister also met the worker committees who represented the workers both in the community as well as on site.
The Sakhalive management is said to have reported that they had been able to take action on a number of issues raised.
One of the actions taken by the management, according to the minister, was an arrangement to provide buses to transport workers to and from work with effect from February 22, 2024.
“They also provided a list of foreign personnel who had applied for work permits and the process was at an advanced stage as they were in constant engagement with the Ministry of Home Affairs. They also stated that currently, three dump trucks had been registered and licenses obtained and other dump trucks were in the process of registration,” Buthelezi shared.
Ensure
He mentioned that he verified the registration of the trucks with the Royal Eswatini Police Service who confirmed it and this was done to ensure that workers received compensation in the event of injury involving the trucks.
The management is also said to have assured the minister that two safety officers were working on the project and that the three-month contracts would be gradually cancelled and adjusted to ones ranging from six months to one year according to the needs of the project.
It was said that the minister welcomed the report and requested to meet with the workers to establish the veracity of the progress report.
The workers reported that they had finally received two buses for transport; however they had not been engaged by the management on all of their concerns raised.
However, it was gathered that the workers did not hide the fact that medication was still a scarce resource and they were prone to injuries and these were never attended to.
They are said to have highlighted a number of incidents and violations that were ongoing and argued that the human resource office needed to be capacitated, as there were allegations of victimisation by the management when issues were reported.
Progress
Representatives from CMAC offered their services to mitigate the risk of any disputes that arose during the project progress while the labour commissioner emphasised the importance of engagement of both parties to promote a conducive work structure for negotiations and discussions pertaining to the welfare of workers and employer expectations.
In his parting remarks, the minister is said to have advised the workers to avoid engaging in violent behaviour that may lead to vandalism and destruction of property.
He also advised on the establishment and registration of a worker association that will promote worker engagement on issues that affected them.
The labour commissioner made a pledge to assist the workers in the registration of the association. Directives were also given to the management, and these included ensuring availability of full medication and transport for those falling sick or getting injured at work.
Recommended
It was also recommended that injuries should also be reported to the ministry and that a canteen should be set up for the workers lodging within the compound of the project and that local suppliers could be sourced for those provisions.
The minister also recommended full personal protective clothing for all workers and that it should be accessible and in good condition.
Also, the minister is said to have advised the management to avoid hiring plants from contractors that were not from the local area as the project needed to also benefit the local community.
The Sakhalive management is said to have made a commitment to adhere to all the recommendations and guidance provided by the minister.
Also, the management committed to submitting a reporting schedule to the ministry on all progress made in addressing the labour issues that threatened to affect the operations of the project.
Last week, the minister paid a visit to the construction site and this was necessitated by recent media reports of serious labour-related issues.
During the visit, the management of Sakhalive reported to the minister that on February 18, 2024, workers embarked on an illegal strike and went on to damage company property and assaulted some managers.
Resided
The workers, according to what the management told the minister, demanded long-term contracts of employment and transport to and from work as they alleged that they resided far from the construction site.
The management reported that the workers continued with their strike on February 19 and visited the ESWADE Offices to deliver a petition, something which affected the operations of the company.
On the other hand, the workers’ representatives reported to the minister that they had four grievances against the employer, one of them being that in December last year, the latter decided to stop pro