Africa-Press – Eswatini. The matter of Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) President Mbongwa Dlamini is one of employer and employee responsibility, which is governed by the Industrial act of 1980 as amended and other related labour laws.
This is what Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo told the proscribed Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) in reaction to its complaint of the Teaching Service Commission’s (TSC) decision to dismiss Dlamini from government’s employment, labelling the move as the latest act of union bashing.
Nxumalo came out to state that government refutes and dismisses outright any insinuations of political indulgence or influence on the labour outcome between Dlamini and his employer, which is the Teaching Service Commission.
“Mr Dlamini was duly represented by a legal team of his particular choice in this case and government have no doubt or whatsoever; that he will access proper legal guidance and advice on a way forward on his dismissal should he feel that it was unfair and/or politically motivated,” said Nxumalo.
In an earlier statement by CPS Secretary Secretary Thokozane Kenneth Kunene, the party condemned the dismissal of the SNAT president, claiming that it has followed many years of intimidation and harassment by government and was but one of the gross acts of union bashing by the government.
“The Communist Party of Swaziland condemns in the strongest terms possible this attack on Mbongwa and calls upon the people of Swaziland (Eswatini) to unite and defend workers’ rights to speech, assembly, association, including their right to collective bargaining. Workers’ rights remain heavily suppressed and their leaders are among the most brutalised,” he said.
Kunene alleged that the unfair treatment of Dlamini dates back to 2018 when he ascended to the office of the presidency. Meanwhile, the TSC on Wednesday dismissed Dlamini from teaching with immediate effect after finding him guilty of abstaining from performing his duties as a teacher for about 109 days in the period between December 2021 and October, 2022.
Dlamini was a Mathematics and Science teacher at Moyeni High School.
Nhlanhla Dlamini, the TSC executive secretary, in the letter terminating Dlamini’s services, stated that his dismissal was in accordance with Section 36 (F) of the Employment Act 1980.
Section 36 (F) provides that it shall be fair for an employer to terminate the services of an employee for any of the following reasons, because the employee has absented himself from work for more than a total of three working days in any period of 30 days without either the permission of the employer or a certificate signed by a medical practitioner certifying that he was unfit for work on those occasions.
Nhlanhla said the commission decided to terminate Dlamini’s services after considering the failure to appreciate the sensitivity and nobility of the teaching profession.
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