NHLANGANO: King Mswati’s police allegedly fired teargas inside rented flats at Nhlangano in the Southern parts of eSwatini, trying to force textile workers back to work.
The attack on the workers that intensified on Tuesday, comes after Manqoba Khumalo,the Commerce Minister urged them to go back to work saying the textile companies were losing orders as a result of the strike.
Textile workers in eSwatini are paid less than Two Thousand Rands(R2000.00) per month, they are now demanding an increase of R15.00 per-hour.
Reached for comments, Wander Mkhonza,the Secretary General of the Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland(ATUSWA) confirmed the assault of the textile workers by the police who were trying to force them back to work.
“It is true that the police assaulted the textile workers and fired teargas within their rented flats, they were trying to force them back to work”, said the ATUSWA Secretary General.
Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, the Police Spokesperson had not responded at the time of compiling this report.
Textile workers have been struggling for years now after the Government approved Minimum Wages that turned them into cheap labour.
Mswati’s police fire tear-gas inside rented flats force, striking textile workers back to wor