By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MATSAPHA:Maduduza Zwane, the Director of Maduduza Zwane Labour Law Consultants that is contracted to provided cheap labour at the Eswatini Brewery, says they were empowered by the law to pay employees low salaries.

The Labour Broker wrote a ‘hot’ letter addressed to this journalist on Wednesday evening, expressing concerns why this Swaziland News was blaming him yet he was paying Eswatini Brewery employees what is provided for, in the Government Gazette.

Workers in this tiny Kingdom of eSwatini who are paid low wages, are among the over 70% of the population living below the poverty line.

Maduduza Zwane allegedly engaged in negotiations with employees after the workers decided to down tools, in demand for better wages, the Labour Broker is said to have pledged to pay them R20.00 per-hour pending further negotiations.

The R20.00 per-hour amounts to R160.00 per-day which is eight(8)hours,and R3,840 per-month.

“If the minimum is set by workers representatives, employers’ representatives and Government why are we blamed for sticking to what is provided in the law. It is rather strange that workers send representatives to the Wages Council. These representatives agree in the tripartite on the salaries of the employees. Once they descend Malagwane, the employers are blamed for paying what the Wages Council promulgated.I admit salaries are low in the country, but procedures must be followed, and the real cause of the problem be addressed.To me a solution to this national problem would be a national minimum wage,”said the Labour Broker.

But Wander Mkhonza,the Secretary General of the Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland(ATUSWA) said the Wages Council never ordered employers to pay exactly, what is in the Government Gazettes.

“I sit in the Wages Council, representing workers, Gazettes only address minimum wages and that was meant for new companies that are still establishing and struggling. Companies can pay above the Gazette, you can’t expect a company that has been operating for the past twenty(20) or ten(10)years to pay what is in the Gazette, they must pay more. Furthermore, you can’t blame workers representatives who sit in the Wages Council for the low salaries in the country. The Wages Council consists of employers, Government and workers representatives, when we vote there advocating for better wages for workers,Government frustrates us and votes in favour of employers all the time to ensure that workers receive low salaries,”said the ATUSWA Secretary General.