Africa-Press – Eswatini. Public transport workers have been awarded a salary increment of 13.5 per cent.
The Minister of Labour and Social Security, Phila Buthelezi, has issued a supplementary gazette detailing the minimum wage for the Road Transportation Industry. The Regulation of Wages (Road Transportation Industry) Order 2024 states that those who will benefit are those who work in taxis, kombis, minibuses, buses and full body trucks.
The gazette states that employees in the sector who are under Grade 1 will have their remuneration reviewed upwards with E301.76 per month. This is because up until the issuance of the supplementary gazette, employees in this category were remunerated at E481.10 per week which tallies to E1 924.40.
Increment
However, due to the 13.3 per cent increment, they will now be paid E556.54 per week which is equivalent to E2 226.16. These employees are loaders, lorrymates, messengers and general workers. This award is 80.1 per cent less than their envisaged increment.
This is because the Swaziland Transport, Communication and Allied Workers Union (SWATCAWU) had last tabled a pay rise demanding up to 93.4 per cent for public transport workers and an increase of allowances by 20 per cent. The union had at the start of the negotiations stated that all they wanted was to see their members getting a minimum salary of E4 000 per month.
Instead of the E556.54 per week award, in their position paper, the union had proposed that Grade 1, which covers conductors and general workers, should get E930.24 per week, which when multiplied by their conversion rate of 4.3, it meant that they should be paid E4 000 per month.
Meanwhile, on Grade II, which accommodates personnel such as fuel issues, tyre men and those driving automobiles of up to 2 000 kilogrammes were awarded a 13.5 per cent increment. This saw their salary being hiked from E685.50 per week (E2 947.65 per month) to E793.20 per week (E3 172.80 per month). This salary increase is 79.9 per cent lesser than what they had hoped for.
On the other hand, kombi drivers or those of vehicles weighing between 2001kg to 7 000kg will now be remunerated E848.90 per week, which equates to E3 395.60 per month. This is an increment of E115.25 per week as they were being paid E733.65, which tallies E2 934.60 per month.
Those in Grade IV, who are bus drivers carrying 37 to 59 passengers were earning E760.10 per week (E3 040.40 per month). They will now earn E879.20 per week, which equates to E3 516.80 per month. This is an increment of E476.40 per month.
Clerks, drivers of a vehicle weighing from 12 00kg to 200 000kg will now earn E912.87 per week (E3 651.48) as their salary was reviewed from E789 per week which was E3 156 per month. Senior clerks were earning E796.20 per week (E3 184.80) and will now be remunerated E3 804.56 per month as weekly they will be paid E951.14. On the other hand, bulk heavy operators who are graded VII will now earn E6 434 per month as the new salary is E1 608.50 per week. Leading to this, they were paid E1 507.50.
Minimum
It is worth noting that public transport workers, in particular those transporting people, had demanded E4 000 as a minimum wage during their strike actions which was held in October 2021 and lasted for over a week. The demand was presented to a government team that was selected to engage the public transport workers. Regarding allowances, the union had demanded that all allowances should be increased by 20 per cent. It said this demand was informed by the cost of living dating three years back.
Currently, according to the 2022/23 gazette, a driver other than a taxi driver, who is required to drive on a night shift should be paid an allowance at one and a half times his normal wage rate. Also, the gazette says a taxi driver should be paid, in addition to his normal wage, a commission of not less than two per cent, on his money intake during any month worked.
“A driver who has been in the continuous employment of the same employer for more than six months and who is required to obtain an annual public driver’s permit, will be reimbursed by his employer the cost in relation to or as a condition of that permit and passport renewals for cross-border operation workers,” reads part of the 2024 gazette.
On another note, the union said the workers should work 48 hours per week, which should be spread over five days. It said the proposal was that the workers work five days per week – Monday to Friday and that Saturdays should be on rated at time and half the normal rate and Sundays will be rated at double the normal rate.
“Annual leave shall continue as is on the 2017 regulation (30 days per annum), however, it shall be cumulative. No employer shall have any authority to effect annual leave forfeiture,” reads part of the union’s demands.
Allowance
Once again, the union said E2 000 should be paid in lieu of a risk allowance per month payable to workers exposed to handling dangerous (petroleum) goods, acids and cement. It also demanded that a worker required to work at night should be paid a night shift allowance at one and a half of the normal rates per hour. It argued that night work was hazardous and posed more risks than day work for all workers, not just drivers.It is worth noting that the wages council for the road and transportation sector is yet to sit to discuss the workers’ demands and the employers, who form part of the tripartite, are yet to table their counter offer.
Meanwhile, Swaziland Transport, Communication and Allied Workers Union (SWATCAWU) Rasta Mamba said the money awarded as minimum wage was far little and not equivalent to the cost of living. He said they would consult on what could happen for them to get a decent salary like all other employees in the country.
Source: times
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