South African companies are under pressure to take a stand on the Swazi strike, reports Max Gebhardt
SOUTHAFRICA’S Transport and General Workers Union has vowed to intensify its campaign against South African companies invested in Swaziland as the Swazi general strike moves into its fourth week. The union will meet shop stewards next week to discuss plans for a “blacking action” against various South African companies in solidarity with the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions.
The union’s general secretary, Randall Howard, said it was considering proposals whereby union members would refuse to transport South African goods destined for Swaziland.
It has already identified two companies, Unitrans and Cargo Carriers, in an attempt to make South African groups take a stand on the labour unrest in Swaziland. The union has called on both companies to use their strategic position in the Swazi economy to “publicly condemn the dictatorial and repressive actions of the Swaziland government” and call on the Swazi government to “ensure full respect for human and trade-union rights”.
The Swazi union decided to call for a two- day national strike in response to the government’s failure to agree to 25 demands tabled by the union in 1994. Central to the union’s demand is the revoking of the 1973 decree banning opposition parties and trade unions in the kingdom.
Acting head of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, Baba Dlamini, said multinationals investing in Swaziland were “cowards” for not condemning the Swazi government’s actions during the strike. Four of the union’s most senior members were arrested on charges of alleged intimidation.
“We will place every possible pressure on South African companies invested in Swaziland to take a stand against the tyrannical Swazi government,” she said.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions said a one-day blockade of the landlocked kingdom would be held early next month. A representative said the trade union was also busy identifying companies invested in Swaziland in an effort to place pressure on them to call for democratic reform in the kingdom.
But South African companies contacted by the Mail & Guardian refused to be drawn into events in Swaziland, saying it could harm their business interests there. They would continue doing “business as usual”. All were unwilling to publicly condemn the Swazi government’s actions.
Sappi chairman Eugene van As said the forestry group had been affected by the strike, which was costing the company a great deal of money in lost revenue.
“Sappi is disturbed that the two sides haven’t been able to settle their differences and we would like to see the parties resolve their differences peacefully and speedily.”
Unitrans chairman, Eduardo Gutirrez- Garcia, said in a letter to Howard: “… the interests of the trade unions and those of employers do not always run parallel to each other because … the unions act in pursuit of certain political objectives which, worthy as they may be, could not be publicly embraced by business enterprises …”
Garcia did say it would use whatever influence and power of persuasion it had in the Swazi government to bring about a just and fair resolution of the current dispute.
Cargo Carriers joint chief executive Murray Bolton cautioned against meddling in the affairs of a foreign country.
“The only way that the Swaziland situation will be resolved is for appropriate independent third parties to be brought in to initiate negotiations and work towards a tripartite consensus on a future dispensation,” Bolton said in a letter to the union.
South African Breweries also said it had been adversely affected by the labour unrest but had managed to gear up production in the weeks leading up to the general strike.
Robert Smith, financial director for the Africa interests, said it was sympathetic to workers’ demands but would prefer to remain apolitical.
“We prefer to remain out of the political arena for commercially prudent reasons,” Smith said.
The company had instituted a no-work, no- pay policy but said no disciplinary action would be taken against those workers absent from work during the strike.
Hotel giant Sun International is also taking a neutral stance, supporting a negotiated settlement.
Group human resource director Rob Rimmer said it would be foolhardy to adopt a confrontational stand towards the Swazi government. The unions, he said, were championing political change, which fell outside the ambit of a company’s responsibilities.