Wildcat strike halts Swazi rail operations

MBABANE – A wildcat
strike by workers at
Swaziland Railways has
halted operations at the
rail terminal in Mpaka in
east central Swaziland.
Workers voted to strike
on Saturday, May 25, to
press for higher wages,
and downed tools the
next day.
12 trains per day
on average move
into and out of the
rail yard. Loss of
revenue to Swaziland
has reportedly been
about R2 million a
day.
Workers
were advised
by union representatives
at a meeting on Monday at
Mpaka that the Industrial
Court of Swaziland had
ruled the strike illegal,
and workers were required
to return to their jobs.
However, workers
refused to end the
work stoppage
and voted
to employ
an attorney to
pursue their case in
court.
Swaziland
Railway said in a
press statement
that a solution
to the wage
dispute was
being handled
internally