’Marafaele Mohloboli
FACTORY Unions have welcomed the government’s decision to increase the minimum wages of factory workers to M2000 per month.
The government’s decision was reached during the cabinet sitting on Tuesday but the delays in communicating the decision resulted in the strike by factory workers on Thursday in Maseru and Maputsoe.
Government spokesperson Nthakeng Selinyane recently told the Sunday Express that “the cabinet on Tuesday 7 August, approved its ministerial subcommitte’s recommendation to set the factory workers entry point wage at M2000 per month and directed the Minister of Labour and two other ministers of public service and the minister in the prime minister’s office to convene the wages advisory board to facilitate enactment of a legal notice / gazette to this effect”.
The Secretary General of the National Clothing and Textile and Allied Workers Union (NACTWU), Sam Mokhele, welcomed the wage increment, saying their joy would only be complete tomorrow when they expected the publication of a government gazette officially communicating the wage structure.
Thousands of workers on Thursday made good on their threats to strike over the government’s failure to meet the workers’ 14-day ultimatum that was issued on 25 June 2018 to implement salary increments.
The workers had 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 accused of neglecting their welfare concerns.
While welcoming the wage increments, Mr Mokhele however, note that other workers who had demanded a demanded 15 percent increment were only awarded a seven percent increment.
He further said that M2000 should only be the wage for new employees and experienced workers should therefore be given higher wages.
“It is our strongest belief that the M2 000 is an entry point for a new employee, meaning that for those who have been in the industry longer shall be getting more.
“And though other stakeholders demanded 15 percent and did not get it, we believe that half a loaf is better than no bread at all. We however, hope that the government will address other grievances including the issue of maternity leave which has still not been addressed,” said Mr Mokhele.
Mr Mokhele said in as much as they are happy with the government decision to increase salaries, they were however, not happy with the delay in announcing the new wages as “this had a lot of bad repercussions and many of the things that happened could have been avoided”.
Although he did not elaborate on the “bad repercussions”, the delay in announcing the wages led to the violent protests that were witnessed in Maseru and Maputsoe on Thursday.
Striking workers barricaded roads with stones and burnt tyres as they fought running battles with police officers in Maseru and Maputsoe.
The Deputy Secretary of the National Clothing and Textile and Allied Workers Union (NACTWU), Tšepang Makakole was arrested in Maputsoe on Thursday for allegedly inciting the striking workers into acts of violence and vandalism.
“We condemn all the threats that were made against the factory workers by police and we appeal to them to release our colleague, Mr Makakole who was arrested during the strike,” Mr Makakole said.
Police spokesperson Superintendent Mpiti Mopeli, said Mr Makakole “is facing charges of inciting public violence and he remains in custody until police have finished with their investigations and this could be on Monday (tomorrow).”