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MANZINI - Public sector unions (PSUs) have taken government to CMAC over the negotiation framework, in particular having a neutral chairperson, secretariat and venue for JNF.

Part of the matter which had been reported to the Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration Commission (CMAC), is about government’s concern that the PSUs updated their members on issues which were still discussed at the Joint Negotiation Forum (JNF) and such issues ended up being publicised by the media. The Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), through its Secretary General Mayibongwe

Masangane filed a dispute wherein he submitted that it was about the chairperson, secretariat and venue of the JNF. The union filed this matter as a dispute for essential services and the respondent was Eswatini Government, in particular the Ministry of Public Service.

Include

The nurses’ union submitted that as trade unions for civil servants, they believed that in the negotiation framework, the parties should include and practically have a neutral chairperson, secretariat and venue. The union alleged that the employer, who is represented by the government negotiations team (GNT) at the roundtable, was against that.

It added that at the negotiation table with the employer, they set the negotiation

framework, which was supposed to be a tool they would use to guide their bargaining process. “In the framework, we differ when we said a neutral chairperson, secretariat and venue were needed. The employer said we should agree to disagree on this particular area, thus a deadlock was signed,” reads part of SWANDU’s submissions to CMAC.

It is worth noting that this matter affected the proceedings of the JNF on Wednesday, as the parties could not be available since they were summoned to CMAC. Later on, government wrote to the unions that the JNF could be held yesterday, but the workers’ representatives complained that it was short notice and they would not be available for the JNF next Wednesday. The JNF is supposed to discuss the issue of 2016 salary review appeals.