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MBABANE – Eswatini has been listed among the 10 worst countries for workers in 2022.
According to the 2022 International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Global Rights Index, Eswatini and Guatemala were new entries in the current year. It was stated that brutal repression of pro-democracy protests and a systematic ban on demonstrations and strikes pushed Eswatini into the 10 worst countries.
Meanwhile, endemic anti-union violence, together with impunity for the perpetrators of violence, set back progress in Guatemala.
The 2022, the ITUC Global Rights Index has an interactive website in which cases of violated rights and national ratings can be viewed by country and region. A comprehensive review of workers’rights in 148 countries provides the database.
Worst
“The ten worst countries for workers in 2022 are the following: Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Eswatini, Guatemala, Myanmar, the Philippines and Turkey,” read the report.
The report highlighted that Eswatini descended into a spiral of violence and repression as 2021 pro-democracy protests were met with extreme police brutality.
“At least 72 protestors were killed by police and government forces; hundreds more were injured and others detained, while some remained missing. Some activists went into hiding and others fled into exile,” alleged the report.
It was stated that freedom of speech and assembly were heavily curtailed as, later in the year, other marches and strikes were violently repressed by police, who used live rounds, rubber bullets, tear gas and batons.
Eswatini was listed among countries in which trade unionists were allegedly killed. Other countries in this category included Bangladesh, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Iraq, Italy, Lesotho, Myanmar, the Philippines and South Africa. When sought for comment, the Trade Union Congress of Eswatini (TUCOSWA) Secretary General (SG), Mduduzi Gina, said it was more likely for those who were monitoring rights violations around the globe to pick some violations in the Kingdom of Eswatini.
He noted that in Eswatini, the violation of workers’ rights existed and it was the fundamental rights, specifically the right to assembly. Gina said when it came to the trade union’s standards; there was Convection 87, which was the co-conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). He said, therefore, the ITUC would monitor the violation of that co-convection.
He said at the centre of the Conventions of the ILO was Convention 87, which dealt with freedom of association.
He said, therefore, if those rights that were guaranteed by the said convention were under attack in any country, it would become easier for that particular country to attract attention of bodies like the ITUC.
He noted that when it came to Eswatini, the rights to assembly in the towns were taken away, regardless of the fact that trade unions followed all the procedures for a lawful gathering. He said it was common practice that the police declined permits.
Violated
Gina added that there was also Convention 98, which spoke about rights to collective bargaining. He said it had been noted in the country that this convention was violated in numerous incidents.
He said one of those incidents was when the government granted three percent cost-of-living adjustment (CoLA).
The SG added that, currently, they were working on the mediation processes whereby government and workers would be brought together to address certain issues affecting workers.
He said this would be a chance for the government to redeem itself from being counted among the wrongdoers. The Minister of Labour and Social Security, Phila Buthelezi, said as a ministry they had neither received nor seen the report yet, hence it would be impossible to make any comment.