’Marafaele Mohloboli WORKERS say they will go on strike on Thursday to protest the government’s delay in addressing their demands for salary increments and improved working conditions.
The proposed industrial action follows the government’s failure to meet the workers’ 14 day ultimatum that was issued on 25 June 2018 to implement salary increments.
Thousands of workers converged at the Moshoeshoe 1 monument in Maseru on 25 June where they delivered a petition to Prime Minister Thomas Thabane demanding salary increments for all workers.
The protestors, who comprised of factory employees, security guards and general workers from the retail and catering sector, want a 15 percent increment for all workers. They are also demanding a general minimum wage of M2000 for factory workers.
The workers also demanded that Dr Thabane sack Labour Minister, Keketso Rantšo, who they accuse of neglecting their welfare concerns.
The alliance of workers’ unions threatening strike action comprises of the Independent Democratic Unions of Lesotho (IDUL), UNITE, National Clothing Textile and Allied Workers Union (NACTWU), Lesotho Wholesalers Catering and Allied Workers Union (LEWCAWU), Lentsoe la Sechaba, Lesotho Workers Association (LEWA) as well as Construction, Mining and Quarrying (CMQ), Lesotho Association of Bank Employees (LABE), Lesotho Union Metal Allied (LUMA), Transport, Security and Allied Workers Union (TSAWU).
“As the alliance of trade unions of Lesotho, we demand the immediate release of a government gazette on the minimum wage before 30 June which must be effective from 1 July,” the workers wrote in their petition which was handed over to Dr Thabane.
“We demand an increment of 15 percent for other workers and M2000 for factory workers.
“We also, with all due respect, urge you (Ms Rantšo) to resign immediately from your post as you have shown no interest in our welfare and our livelihoods”.
Since the 25 June protest march, several meetings have been held among the workers’ unions, the parliamentary economic cluster and a ministerial task team which was set up to look into the workers’ grievances.
Dr Thabane pleaded with the workers to be patient and he had also promised that he would have responded to their grievances by the end of July.
However, with the month of July having come and gone, the patience of the workers’ and their union leaders appears to have worn thin.
The trade unions recently said that the government “seems to be dragging its feet in attending to our grievances”.
“They (government) are forever postponing and giving priority to other government programmes and this means that they don’t consider us as important as others,” said Mr Tšepang Makakole, the Deputy Secretary of the National Clothing and Textile and Allied Workers Union.
“We have been very patient with this government and we have given them time to look into our grievances but this is not working and we have decided to down tools on Thursday if they still would not have acted by then. This time around we don’t want promises but we want money.
“We feel that we have been way too patient as our grievances have not been treated with any sense of urgency yet the prices of all commodities have gone up. We can’t take this anymore,” added Mr Makakole.
The Government Secretary, Moahloli Mphaka and the Prime Minister’s Press attaché Mr Thabo Thakalekoala were not reachable on their mobile phones for comment.
On his part, the government spokesperson, Nthakeng Selinyane, said, “The government is aware of the workers’ intention to go on an industrial action”.
“The workers’ grief is understandable and so are their intentions. However, the fate of that (strike) will depend on what the government will have done by then (Thursday) because all that is left is to have a government gazette (on workers’ salaries) ready. This is a matter which government has been working on since 12 June,” Mr Selinyane said.