By Bongiwe Dlamini

MBABANE:Prime Minister(PM) Russell Mmiso Dlamini says,Government is addressing the issue of the Minimum Wage.

This is contained in his speech he was supposed to deliver at the Prince of Wales Sports Ground during the May Workers Day Celebration, the PM was stopped by angry workers and members of political parties from delivering the speech.

“It is equally critical for workers to understand that the Prime Minister, Cabinet and all public servants are also workers. As members of the current Administration, we would like our fellow workers to know that Government has the interests of workers at heart. Although we may not promise heaven and earth, we do want to commit ourselves and assure you that the minimum wage and the entire welfare of workers is being looked into by this Government. As per His Majesty’s pronouncement during Sibaya, this commitment is aligned with the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) for 2022 – 2025 as adopted by Cabinet and publicly launched on 17 November, 2022. That document was signed at a high level by the Prime Minister of the time. That demonstrates the high commitment of His Majesty’s Government in improving the standard of living for all workers in this country much in line with your organisation’s May Day theme of “Social justice and decent work for All.” In this regard, Government has taken note of the agreed roadmap that has been developed by the tripartite Constituent partners on the process towards coming up with a national minimum wage and assures our Constituents that we support this process.The Ministry of Health has already been mandated to work on the National Health Insurance Scheme, whilst the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security are working on various social security programmes in an effort to ensure comprehensive social coverage for every liSwati in this country”, said the Prime Minister(PM).

The PM was accompanied by Labour Minister Phila Buthelezi and Tourism Minister Jane Mkhonta when attending the May Day celebration.