UNISON delegation to southern Africa
From 28 February - 12 March 2009 a UNISON delegation will visit Swaziland, South Africa and Malawi to meet with health, water and civil service unions in each country, and also meet with DFID and the FCO. The delegation consists of UNISON NEC and regional members as well as 2 UNISON officers and 2 staff from Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA).
Members of the delegation will be posting regular updates on their visit so that UNISON members and others can keep up to date on who the delegation have met and how UNISON is building relationships with sister unions in the region.
UNISON delegation to southern Africa - itinerary
Wednesday 11 March 2009: Blantyre, Malawi A twinning success
This is our final day in Malawi. After a long road journey from Lilongwe to Blantyre yesterday, I can look forward to an exciting D&O Committee. Noooo!! That’s my other UNISON life!!Time was going to be tight today as the Malawi Nurses and Midwife’s Union had arranged for us to visit Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre and we also needed to leave to get to the airport for our return flight to Johannesburg and home.
At QEH we met with the nurse managers and matrons who gave a detailed presentation on the current patient status in the hospital. We were told that 20 babies had been born in the previous 24 hours, but this was quite low as the average births are 35 babies a day. Most frequent illnesses requiring hospitalisation, excluding HIV/AIDS, are malaria and TB. There were approximately 800 inpatients and the outpatients department looked very busy.
As time was short, we split into groups in order to get a wider understanding of the hospital facilities.
Of course, there was no lack of delegates wanting to visit the children’s wards and Kangaroo Units. There is a separate Children’s A&E which seems to be a very sensible idea. This area was very large and was quite full. Children were lining up for triage and then directed to other areas. There was a day ward where the children would stay for a few hours until their condition either responded to treatment or they were transferred to another ward for a longer stay. We asked staff if they were experiencing any shortages of medicines but they said not - also they were twinned with Birmingham Children’s Hospital who were very generous in sending supplies. If supplies of child specific drugs were in short supply at the pharmacy staff halved or quartered adult doses as appropriate.
From here we went on to the ante-natal unit. Johns Hopkins Medical Centre was undertaking a major study here, the results of which they shared with QEH. Staff told us that everyone who presented at the unit was screened for HIV/AIDS as they could immediately begin treatment which has been very successful in preventing cross infection to the unborn baby and prolonging the life expectations of the mother.
From here we went to the Kangaroo Unit. This was the same as the one we saw in Pretoria but with a big difference. The unit was quite small, there were many incubators with babies in them but there were quite a lot of babies with mothers, too. One granny was the guardian for the baby as her daughter, the baby’s mum, was in intensive care. There was also one baby being discharged that day and her mum was dressing her in a frilly pink frock. She was the sole survivor of triplets who had been born on 30 January. She was now 1.8 kg and ready to face the world. Let’s hope her strength and tenacity stand her in good stead and we wish her good fortune for her future.
The staff informed us that with multiple births they expected the father to assist as a guardian – and they looked like they would stand no nonsense on this matter, either. Other family members were also drafted in to assist when required. This system was so impressive. Babies were still incubated if necessary but their closeness to their mothers was obviously a major factor in their survival.
Time passed so quickly and we had to leave in order to catch our flights home. We were sorry we weren’t able to see more of the facilities but it was encouraging to know that our members in Birmingham were helping in a very practical way.
After picking up our luggage we went on to Blantyre airport to catch our flight to Johannesburg where we had a few hours to wait until our flight to Heathrow and home.
Tuesday 10 March 2009: Lilongwe and Blantyre, Malawi Tea on the lawn with key players!
Tuesday 10 March - and into our time machine for a trip back to colonial days. The visit to the British High Commissioners Residence on the leafy outskirts of Lilongwe really was like a return to the 1950s – elegantly appointed rooms, immaculately trimmed lawns and tended gardens and all of it a million times removed from the experience of the majority of Malawians.We were received courteously and listened to earnestly by the High Commissioner and 2 members of DFID staff based in Malawi, before moving into the aforementioned splendid gardens, where we were joined by trade union colleagues we had met earlier in our visit for a buffet lunch and some speeches.
Most if not all of our brothers and sisters from the Malawi trade unions had never been to the HC Residence before (nor would they expect to be invited) so the opportunity our visit created may at least have brought them some extra space to meet and engage with key players in the country, including the print and broadcast media who were also present and conducting interviews.
After lunch we reboarded the minibus, and in a heavy downpour set off for Blantyre in the south of Malawi. I suppose it is possible that if all the minibuses in Malawi were gathered together in one place, you could build one really good vehicle. As it was, we suffered the long journey south in a degree of discomfort – the M1 main road (one lane in each direction, no white lines, no hard shoulder, plenty of potholes, bikes and goats without lights – but at least the cows had horns) nonetheless passed through some spectacular scenery, with views across to Mozambique and a distant view of what we decided was probably Lake Malawi, as well as skirting towns and villages showing all the signs of poverty and lack of infrastructure which appear to be typical of rural Malawi.
We eventually arrived in the late evening at our hotel in Blantyre where we were able to gather for our last meal together before setting out the following day for Johannesburg and our flight home to the UK.
Monday 9 March 2009: Lilongwe, Malawi 'An injury to one is an injury to all'
If Swaziland was warm and South Africa hot, then when we arrived in Malawi yesterday it was sweltering. However this morning we woke to a gorgeous sunny, dewy, morning with a slight but very welcome breeze. It was wonderful to sit outside beside the fish pond for breakfast before making our way to our first meeting at 9.0am with the Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU).The MCTU was formed in 1995, or perhaps more accurately re-established as there had been a former TU congress before independence after which all Trade Unions were banned. During the intervening period between independence and 1992, when a multi party state was introduced, all trade unions went underground.
They organise in the communications, commercial and industrial, tobacco/tea plantation and agricultural, transport, textile, security, water and energy, teaching, building, hotels, food and hospitality and in both the public and private sectors. There are 22 affiliates and over 200,000 members.
Malawi has a population of 13.1 million of which only 450,000 are engaged in formal employment with another 3.5 million working in the informal economy such as taxi/mini bus driving and street vending. Most of the MCTU’s members are in the informal sector. Their ambition is to recruit beyond one million members in the next 6 months! They are also trying to get a tripartite structure of negotiations between employers, government and employees formed.
They told us of their various projects with other international partners which included TU organising, elimination of child labour, TU and human rights; gender mainstreaming, women’s empowerment, social security, education and health & safety.
At 11.0am we met the Civil Service Unions. They organise around 50,000 members in three regions. They spoke about how successful the original UNISON International Development Fund (UIDF) project they had with us had been. This had been a project to increase awareness of HIV/AIDs among members, produce policies and negotiate agreements on HIV/AIDS with employers. The negotiations with the government had gained an agreement that 2% of each departmental budget would go towards HIV/AIDS sufferers in the workforce. Each department has a policy from which the workers benefit a great deal. If a worker gets a positive test and declares their status they get 5,000 kwacha per month for nutritious food. They hoped that the new programme we have through PSI would be as effective.
We then got a packed lunch and jumped on the bus to go to the Malawi Municipal workers union in their Civic offices. After a short wait in the Chief Execs office we were taken into the assembly room. This was set out with a large circle of tables and a separate audience area. We sat at the round table with the TU leaders and Employers while the branch stewards sat in the side audience area. This was a very formal meeting which started with a prayer. During the meeting we were encouraged to chant: union – Yes, solidarity – forever and ever, an injury to one – is an injury to all. It was the first day in office of the new CEO and after a very long welcoming speech to us he went on to talk about working closely with the TU.
At 1.30 we moved back to the executive office to continue our discussions with just the TU. Currently they have no trade union office because the rent was hiked from 20,000 to 30,000 which was beyond their means as currently not all branches pay into central funds.
At 2.30 we went to meet WETUM the water union. They are one of the youngest unions in Malawi. They can only organise within their waterboards. There are 5 waterboards and currently they have over 2000 members. The union has no HIV/AIDs workplace programme but some workers have taken advantage of the employers programmes and have had training on HIV/AIDs They told us that the UNISON International Development fund anti water privatisation programme that we had with them had resulted in the privatisation not going ahead. The women’s development programme had also resulted in women being in lead positions in the union.
Water in Malawi is metered and billed. If people can’t pay they are disconnected after 3 months. Some rural areas have piped water provided by the government but mostly it is from bore holes. They are now looking at pre paid meters.
Sunday 8 March 2009: Malawi International Women's Day
Travel to Lilongwe, enjoy an afternoon of ‘me’ time or take part in ‘International Women’s day celebrations.Following an early breakfast, it was time to finish packing our bags, check out of the hotel and say ‘good bye’ to Jo’burg as we prepared to head to the airport for our flight to Lilongwe, Malawi.
Having checked in our luggage, gone through the security checks etc it was time for a spot of ‘duty free’ shopping, tea/coffee and relaxing while waiting for the 11.00am flight to Lilongwe. Some of us where soon to learn that for some reason or the other the display boards did not advise us that the flight was boarding and we continued to ‘window shop’ in duty free. Frantic phone calls followed and we were once again ‘one’ ready for the next leg of our journey.
On arrival at Lilongwe airport, we went through passport control, collected our luggage, exchanged our money and headed out of the airport to be greeted by a representative from ‘Annie’s Lodge’ our home for the next 2 nights. But image our shock when we arrived at the mini bus which was to transport us and our luggage to the Lodge. The luggage was piled (or packed to the ceiling) on the back seats of the bus while the rest of us climbed into the front. One look at Tony and you could tell he wasn’t impressed, nor would any H&S rep have been. I think it was more good luck than poor management that our luggage didn't fall over and hit anyone on route to the lodge.
Now we had been warned that Annie’s Lodge was a bit basic compared to where we had been staying but I don’t think any of us were ready for what greeted us. One or two were allocated rooms while the rest of us waited around the reception/bar area unsure of what was happening. We were later to find out that there are 2 Annie’s Lodges in Lilongwe and we had been booked into the wrong one. Some of us were prepared to stay where we were but soon changed our minds when those who had been allocated rooms advised that they had extra roommates – in the form of mosquitoes or that there was no glass in the windows etc. The delegation leader did say she would stay in the bridal suite but I think that was said tongue in cheek. A vote was taken on whether we should stay or try and find somewhere else to stay (remember it’s Sunday evening and we would require 15 bedrooms and conference facilities etc for our meetings). Having taken the vote to move elsewhere if possible it was down to Sharon, Mark and Tony to make several phone calls and find somewhere that would meet our requirements. This came in the form of the Sunbird Central Hotel, approx 5 -10 minutes away from Annie’s Lodge.
Shuttle bus services took us to our new home for the next two nights. Having checked in and taken into account the events of the day one or two of us were able to swim and a drink or two before dinner.
It wouldn’t be right to end the blog for the day without acknowledging the sterling work Sharon, Mark and Tony did in finding and arranging somewhere different to stay, hats off to them.
Saturday 7 March 2009: Johannesburg 'The Road to Freedom'
Probably in recognition that sleep deprivation is outlawed under the Geneva Convention; today we were allowed to lie in! Not for long though.The day dawned bright and beautiful and it was an eager, happy, fully fed and watered crowd that greeted Patrick, our guide for the day, outside the hotel.
Patrick lost no time in explaining to us his mission for the day – for us to forget everything we had been told about Johannesburg being one of the most dangerous cities in the world – it was no worse than anywhere else; probably better. In truth, the day would prove him right.
A brief drive through down town Jo'burg showed us a 21st century, modern vibrant city with no real stark contrasts with the colonial and commercial buildings of 100 years ago for in reality Jo'burg is little more than 100 years old having evolved rapidly from the mining camps that emerged following the discovery of gold there in the 1880's. One district we passed through bore testament to the gold mining heritage hosting sculptures fabricated from old mining equipment Unfortunately time constraints did not allow for us to linger – another time perhaps? (Actually the same argument had previously been applied to the architecturally attractive old brewery, now a museum, that we had passed earlier). (Architecture? Really? Ed).
Still in high spirits we proceed south west towards Soweto and the Apartheid museum. Nothing had prepared me for the emotional roller coaster that was to follow. My words are totally inadequate to describe the shock and horror that unfolded within those walls as the tragic history and legacy of British and Dutch misrule revealed itself. You will have to go see for yourself or at very least visit the museums website at www.apartheidmuseum.org
To quote from the museum's brochure: “The path through the museum leads you on a journey beginning with segregation, the cornerstone of apartheid. It takes you back through the history of the myriad cultures converging during the pre-apartheid era. Through the years of race classification, the 150 Acts of apartheid, detentions and oppression of the nationalist regime. You will examine the rise of black consciousness, the armed struggle and finally witness the release of Nelson Mandela after 27 years of imprisonment which led to the final negotiations for peace. The Apartheid museum experience is one of upliftment and liberation both personally and socially and leaves each visitor with a feeling of hope for the future, unburdened by the ills of the past. Walk away free!”
Actually I walked away in tears. I wasn't alone!
Back on the bus and the drive to lunch at Wandies Place, a small taverna style restaurant in Soweto. On the way a brief photo-stop at an amazing, extremely photogenic football stadium, which had been the scene of anti-apartheid rallies in the past but which now was being refurbished in readiness to host several games when South Africa hosts the World Cup Tournament In 2010.
Soweto by the way stands for South West Township and it was here that the world's attention was drawn to the acts of violent oppression by the security forces and the opposition by young, black South Africans that heralded the final days of apartheid. Today it is a peaceful, colorful, vibrant suburb of Johannesburg with a wide variety of dwellings, many of them extremely attractive, not at all the shanty town I was expecting! So much for preconceptions!
Lunch at Wandies Place was exceptional and probably the most authentic South African food we were to eat all trip. Wandies Place itself was obviously very popular not least amongst local residents but also with the world at large. The walls inside (and ceiling) were literally covered with business cards, bank notes and humorous graffiti left by visitors from across the globe.
Street entertainers outside the restaurant played their part in raising the spirits of our group as the realization dawned that if the residents of Soweto had managed to so successfully move on then so must we.
But one last reminder of the dark days of yore. The Hector Pieterson Memorial and the tribute to a young 13 year old boy shot dead by security forces outside his school – the act which triggered the Soweto Race Riots and which signalled the end of the Apartheid state.
Back on the bus and a leisurely drive down the only road in the world on which reside two Nobel Laureates, Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu. Actually Nelson Mandela doesn't live there anymore and his house is being converted into a museum.
The final visit of the day was to a Youth Club / Drop In centre in Kliptown – a small impoverished area within Soweto. The centre was run by Bob who, concerned at the plight of kids growing up with not much hope and in danger of drifting into crime, had created a place that kids could go to meet, play, eat but most of all, to grow up treating each other with respect. As the motto on the wall said “All the flowers of tomorrow are the seeds of today”.
Tribal dances accompanied by tribal music performed by children and young men and women in traditional tribal dress impressed us greatly. Cameras were much in use, not just by our group. One young man I was sitting next to asked if he could take some photos with my camera and nearly drained the battery, he took so many!
This last visit was far too short. Bob gave a short presentation about his life and vision. A most impressive man who was doing so much with so little. We had no hesitation in organizing a quick whip round and made a donation.
Back on the bus, back to the hotel and! Do you know I can't remember what we did that night. My mind was filled with the sights and sounds of the day and thoughts that will shape me for the rest of my life. Who cares what I had for dinner?
Blog interruptus!
Our intrepid bloggers are having problems accessing the internet so there is a slight hiatus in getting their blogs up. Blogging will resume as soon as possible - watch this space!Friday 6 March 2009 South Africa Learning from kangaroos?
A pleasant walk in the sunshine to the first meeting with the UNISON HIV project coordinator. The name of the project is PSUFASA www.psufasa.org. The project is about trade unions in southern African counties working to develop HIV/AIDS policies and programmes, share best practice and develop relationships with civil society organisations/NGOs campaigning and lobbying on HIV/AIDS issues.Between meetings, a number of delegates thought they would ‘nip’ to the bank, only to discover that bureaucracy in South Africa made nipping to the bank not a simple exercise.
In the meantime, those who did make the COSATU www.cosatu.org.za building, met with COSATU officials who gave a comprehensive run down of COSATU’s activities with a specific emphasis on the forthcoming election and their relationship with the ANC, and more specifically about the break away group from the ANC, which may affect the election. There was a very impressive display of banners depicting a variety of landmark events such as the assassination of Bantu Chris Hani. Among the displays were also the heroines of the struggle.
In the afternoon, we were joined by the DENOSA representative who accompanied us to Kalafong hospital; opened in 1972 for the black population of Gauteng. Following a presentation by the acting chief executive, we split into two groups and went on a tour. There was a request to go and see the premature babies in the Kangaroo Baby Unit. The innovative way of caring for these babies by treating them like joeys by putting them in a pouch on the mother’s chest, where they can benefit from the mothers warmth and heartbeat which helps to regulate their body temperature.
The second group visited the Mohau Diana Princess of Wales centre for children, who have been either orphaned or abandoned, many of whom are HIV positive, or have been abused. They are taken in from the age of 2, cared for and educated until the age of 18. There was one qualified social worker, plus a number of care workers to support her.
The second visit was to the Steve Biko Academic Hospital, named after the political activist who was killed in suspicious circumstances during a transfer to Pretoria prison hospital. The hospital is organised by the usual health unions, one of which is DENOSA, which has the majority of nurses in membership – 1400 out of 1500.
Whilst taking photographs of the very substantial new hospital building, we were instructed not to by security staff - one armed with a mop, and by the look on his face he was not afraid to use it!
The day ended with the delegates feeling very tired after a busy and eventful day.
Thursday 5 March 2009 South Africa Sister unions in Pretoria
We should have left the hotel at 7.30am for our journey to Pretoria. However, due to the heavy traffic congestion around Johannesburg, we left at about 8.00 and the rest of the journey was no easier, due to the amount of traffic between Jo’burg and Pretoria.Everyone was still in good humour despite the traffic and we weren’t too late for the first meeting with HOSPERSA (Health and Other Service Personnel Trade Unions of South Africa) www.hospersa.co.za After a courteous reception from the HOSPERSA acting general secretary, we settled down in the room for the now routine introductions and presentation of the respective unions’ structures.
HOSPERSA started as a staff association and following the change in labour laws at the end of the apartheid regime became a fully fledged union. They face similar challenges to those faced in UNISON. They currently represent a membership of around 70,000 in both public and private sector in South Africa. They are affiliated to FEDUSA (an alternative trade union centre to COSATU) and do not support any particular political party.
The time flew by very quickly and the meeting came to an end after an exchange of gifts and farewells. Hopefully, we will meet again in the future, as they have requested further information around agenda for change, job evaluation and KSF (knowledge and skills framework).
We went on to meet with DENOSA (Democratic Nursing Association of South Africa) www.denosa.org.za The international relations coordinator introduced the general secretary, who is a very charismatic and interesting individual who gave us a very detailed presentation about DENOSA and its activities. She emphasised that the membership was predominantly female – 86% - but the leadership structure did not reflect the membership gender profile.
Following a very welcome lunch provided with the compliments of DENOSA, we went to our next meeting, which was scheduled for the afternoon, with DFID (the UK government Department for International Development). A heavy discussion took place about consultation with unions in strengthening public health services and supporting the sharing of trade unions’ skills and expertise through public-public partnerships - too complicated to go into in detail!
We made our way back to Jo’burg and yet another encounter with the traffic, with an impromptu stop for supplies and souvenirs.
Wednesday 4 March 2009 South Africa Take your cameras with you
Following a restful night’s sleep in Jo’burg and a leisurely breakfast the delegation were ready for their first meeting of the day with members of NEHAWU (Education, Health, Government and Social Welfare Sectors) www.nehawu.org.zaNEHAWU was founded in June 1987 when three unions merged into one (sound familiar?). However this was done secretly because it was at the time when trade unions were not recognised.
UNISON and NEHAWU have had a solidarity relationship for many years - in fact UNISON helped NEHAWU set up therefore it was not a surprise to hear that NEHAWU’s structural set up is very similar to UNISON’s.
We learnt that NEHAWU is the biggest public sector union and one of the biggest in the Public Services Co-ordinating Bargaining Council in South Africa with over 220,000 members (163,000 of whom are in the public sector) in 40 regions.
Our sister union organises workers in the following sectors:-
State administration – covering all government departments, research institutes and utilities subsidised by government, parastatels which relate with departments.
Health – all workers employed in health institutions (private and public), from general assistants right up to directors general.
Education – all workers employed in schools, technikons, technicals, universities and education departments.
Social Welfare – all workers in old age homes, children’s homes, places of safety (secure care), welfare and population departments.
The delegation heard of some of the campaigns NEHAWU have either been involved in or are currently involved in. Such as ‘Campaign 400,000’ which was a campaign to try and recruit 400,000 members – however the union realized that this was too high a target have subsequently revised it.
We also heard that a number of NEHAWU members were arrested, shot or killed during the strikes which took place in 1989 and 1992.
Other campaigns include:- (Trying) to recruit a full time gender officer – to help train women; HIV/AIDS – this is a 2 phased campaign – phase 1 being internal - aimed at union staff members and phase 2 being external – aimed at union members. This campaign is designed to help train staff to deal with issues relating to HIV/AIDS and know where/who to refer members to for help. The external member phase is designed to help members learn how to deal with HIV/AIDS, when/how to declare their status, what to expect etc.
But the biggest campaign is that around the forthcoming elections which take place on 22 April this year. NEHAWU is campaigning to support the ANC and help lift the poor of the country out of poverty.
Following lunch the delegation met with Steve Falconer (originally from Lancaster, but we won’t hold that against him), the international officer at SAMWU (South African Municipal Workers Union) www.samwu.org.za
Founded in 1987 SAMWU has 135,000 members within the municipal services and water board. Once again we heard that SAMWU’s structures are very similar to UNISON’s, however, trade unions in South Africa are defined by their internal politics, whereby the workers have control e.g. there has to be worker-level members involved in any proposed changes – very similar to our ‘lay membership’ making decisions at NDC.
Campaigns that SAMWU are involved include:-
Campaign for state provision of health care; filling of vacant posts – which have been budgeted for but still remain unfilled (possibly due to a skill gap?) (or vacancy savings?); organisational renewal project; UNISON’s HIV/AIDS project
The third meeting of the day was with POPCRU (police and prison workers’ union) www.popcru.org.za and was to take place at their offices which we were informed was only 5 mins away by foot – if fact we could see their offices from our hotel. So off the delegation set only to find out on arrival that POPCRU had moved offices (they must have heard the UNISON delegation was coming). Phone calls followed and we learnt that POPCRU had moved into new offices approx 2 miles away. So we headed back to the hotel and jumped into taxies and ‘hot footed’ it to the new offices to meet with Simon who is the chief of staff.
The delegation learnt that POPCRU was formed 20 years ago on 5 November 1989, when it had only a handful of members. Today membership stands at 123,000 across the police, correctional services, traffic police and private prison sectors. 67,000 of these members are in the police sector, 37,000 in the correctional services sector and the remainder in the other two sectors.
Amongst the challenges faced by the members of POPCRU is training and recruitment requirements – for example POPCRU are stating that employers should consider travelling times and distances when looking at restructuring/relocations.
Due to shortness of time were not able to address all the issues/concerns we had hoped to cover, but as with all the trade unions we have met so far we promised that we would keep in touch and strengthen our links with POPCRU.
The day finished off with a delegation meal at MOYO a traditional African restaurant, (springbok, kudu or ostrich anyone?) where we enjoyed having our faces painted in traditional African style and being advised by the delegation leader to take our cameras with us when going to the toilet (if you ask nicely you may get to see the pictures!)
Following the meal it was back to the hotel for an early(ish) night before an early morning drive to Pretoria.
Tuesday 3 March 2009 Swaziland Education is the key
We woke up to another beautiful sunny morning in Swaziland, sadly however our last day here as this evening we will be heading back to South Africa. The time seems to have flown since we arrived in the region.Our first meeting after breakfast was with the Swaziland Water and Co-operation Workers Union (SWCWU). The water workers formed this union after the government removed water from the civil service and put it into an arms length company in 1995. They told us how the union had started on a high note in 1996, and we were pleased, if surprised, when he told us that after the formation of the water corporation they were given permanent contracts, better terms and conditions and even slightly better salaries than when they were government employees and could only have temporary contracts. They said that the managing director encouraged and supported the formation of the union and the workforce all wanted to join as previously they had had no written agreements. This all seemed very different to our experiences of privatisations and arms length companies; however we hadn’t yet got to the sting in the tale. Firstly the company down sized from an original 1000 worker to 700 and then to currently less than 500. In 2002 the union president was suspended on no pay for whistle blowing about corruption in the company. The union supported him and his family through a marathon court case which lasted until 2007. Eventually he won in 2007 but received a little money and was not reinstated. This has completely depleted the union finances.
They have an HIV/AIDS programme which started in 2002. Most of the employees have HIV/AIDS and 6-8 of the workforce were dying every year but with the help of the programme this has now reduced to 3-4. Originally the programme had 40 peer educators but they found that too many for one person to monitor so it has been reduced to 10. This programme was started with the support of the company and they have access to free retrovirals and food supplements which were negotiated with management. We were told education is the key to the problem. When people are illiterate the death rate is high, but now 80-90% of the employees understand about HIV/AIDS. He said that because he is in the union members trust him and now most members come and have tests.
Water is metered and charged in Swaziland. Their corporation seems to just deal with urban water delivery. As he said ‘there is no money in the rural areas’ He said rural water was delivered by another service called ‘rural water’ which is paid for by donations (mainly from Canada) However no one is responsible for the maintenance of the pipes and pumps in rural areas so they don’t last long.
When asked what kind of Swaziland government they would like they said ‘Government by the people, for the people, where people were able to speak free from fear’
Our second meeting was with Swaziland Nurses Association (SWA). It is the only union for nurses in Swaziland and they only recruit nurses. 60% of nurses are in the private sector. They told us about several of their programmes. One was for educating female children because they tend to miss out culturally; another was in conjunction with Danish and Norwegian trade unions on workplace violence. Hospitals have lack of security and nurses working in rural areas are often robbed. They also have a wellness centre dealing with HIV/AIDS.
However, one of the main problems that they face is the exodus of nurses to other countries of which the UK is one of the worst culprits. This leaves Swaziland, which has an escalating HIV/AIDS problem, with a lack of nurses and those that remain are over stretched. One of the main issues is the differences in salaries. In Swaziland a fully qualified nurse gets 9000 rand and in the UK they get the equivalent of 25000 rand. The nurses in the UK say they can live on this salary and send home 8000 rand. As well as the poor pay rates another reason for the exodus of nurses is that it is depressing for them to work in Swaziland where most of their patients are going to die, and there is a lack of many of the resources they need to do their job.
We then packed our bags and said a fond farewell to our temporary home in Swaziland and got on our bus with our packed lunch to start the 200 mile journey back to Johannesburg. As we had some time to spare we decided to stop off for half an hour at a market just outside Manzini for a bit of shopping for our families back home. This gave us an opportunity to see a little culture and talk to some of the stallholders who were anxious to sell their wares. It was a fascinating experience weaving our way along the dirt track, from shack to shack. They were selling everything from jewellery to ornate carvings.
Monday 2 March 2009 (pm) Swaziland Not much to sing and dance about
On Monday afternoon we met with representatives from the Swaziland National Association of Civil Service (SNACS) who are currently expanding to take in members from recently privatised sectors (where have we heard that before?). A major area of concern is the privatisation of water and electricity and the compulsory installation into homes of prepaid meters which impacts adversely on poor people as we well know from our fuel poverty campaigns. Planned privatisation includes pharmacies, laboratories and x-ray departments in hospitals.They told us that there were plans to privatise the Revenue system and Highways authority as well as parts of the healthcare system. The general felling was that the government could not be trusted to keep their promises and stick to the constitution.
After lunch we met with the NNLC which is a political party which cannot gain registration so cannot campaign or gain seats in Parliament where all MPs must be recognised and approved by the King. They are working hard to achieve a peaceful transition from an absolute monarchy to a full parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy.
Previous speakers told of churches’ opposition to trade unions but NNLC told us the Swaziland Council of Churches was trying to set up a radio station outside the border of Swaziland to promote civic education to a population with low levels of literacy.
We then met with a former government minister who gave an entertaining account of his rise and fall in the government because of his efforts to bring about democratic change. He was faced with the very difficult choice of moving from a position of privilege to one where he and his family are threatened with exile.
UNISON delegates were overwhelmed with information during the day and our eyes were completely opened to the situation in Swaziland which is only ever portrayed in the UK as a happy little land, ruled by a benign monarch where everyone laughs and sings all day. We were incredibly moved by the presentation of all the brave trade unionists who spoke to us. They are desperate for our assistance and we only hope that when we return to our branches and regions and tell our tales of this visit, then our members will rise to the occasion and take the lessons we have learned to heart. The people of Swaziland deserve better and we should endeavour to help them achieve it.
Monday 2 March 2009 Swaziland United we stand
Monday dawned bright and clear with all delegates showing up bright eyed and bushy tailed at breakfast – much to everyone’s surprise given the gruelling travelling of the previous two days.Our first meeting began at 9 am and we met with delegates from Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) who informed us that although they are called an ‘Association’ they are still a trade union because associations are more readily registered than unions; the Swaziland Federation of Labour (SFL) and the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU).
SNAT is the largest single union with over 9000 members. However, they have no full time officers due to lack of funding. Their services to members include having their own bank which offers loans to members as well as looking to build up welfare services to members with the introduction of things like retirement gifts and education projects on HIV/AIDS. At the moment most of the officers are male but they are working hard to achieve a 50/50 gender balance.
They gave us information about the ‘so-called’ free education system which was promised by the King (who is an absolute monarch) but which is being watered down by the regime who are now saying that they provide free text books etc not tuition. This change to people’s expectations is devastating as education is extremely expensive and few can afford it. The unions are actively campaigning to hold the King to his promise and adhere to the constitution.
Even for those who can afford to educate their children, this is still predicated on the approval of the tribal chieftain to sign recommendations for the children to go on to higher education.
SNAT is a politically diverse union which poses problems but all activists agree on the need to improve the Swazi people’s knowledge and understanding of civil society.
During our question and answer session delegates told us that women were particularly vilified if they joined trades unions:
“You won’t get a husband” (some of us thought this wasn’t altogether a bad thing!)
“You are anti-monarch, anti-King”
“It’s against Swazi culture”
“Only loose women join trade unions”
At the end of this presentation, we joined hands and sang their trade union song:
United we Stand
Divided we fall
United we Stand and
Never wish to Fall
Forward Forever
Backward Never
United We Stand
And Never Wish to Fall
This was a very moving end to this session as it was so obvious to us that they were proud of their country but were trying to change things for the better for everyone.
Sunday 1 March 2009 Swaziland The 'iron fist'
Johannesburg greeted us with an embrace of cloudy, grey skies. It was, much to our surprise, just like being at home! But fortunately, this disappointment quickly passed as we began our snaking journey overland to Swaziland, taking in the vistas of sweeping maize fields and forests as far as the eye could see. With the rugged mountain scenery and dotted settlements – for many of us – it was reminiscent of parts of Scotland!After nearly two days of travelling – our hotel was a welcome sight, more so, as we were warmly greeted by our trade union comrades from the Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF).
Soon after we arrived we had our first meeting with the SUDF. The SUDF, started in 2008, is a pro-democracy movement made up of trade unions, non-governmental organisations, political parties and churches. It is demanding an end to the absolute monarch and the un-banning of political parties. They are calling for multi-party elections and for a constitutional monarchy.
However, in their struggle for democracy, the SUDF faces enormous challenges. The government brought in the Suppression of Terrorism Act in 2008 which has enabled the state to brutally stifle dissent, label democratic parties non-existent and create a climate of fear. “The King rules with and iron fist” our trade union comrade reported. Swazi people do not have the right to own land, which means that dissent can be punished by eviction.
A major concern at the present is the growing frustration felt by the young people in Swaziland. Some are tiring of the peaceful struggle for democracy. The day before we arrived, the youth section of the People’s United Democratic Front had taken to the streets in protest, with some being involved in violent clashes with the police.
For the delegation – the meeting brought the reality of struggle for democracy to life and highlighted the key role that trade unions can play within this, both in Swaziland and as part of the international trade union movement, including working with UNISON.
So what can UNISON do to support the struggle for democracy in Swaziland? UNISON will continue to strengthen its relationship with the SUDF. We will work with the Front and ACTSA to develop a coherent strategy that will push Swaziland up the political agenda in the UK. This work was started when UNISON met the SUDF in October 2008, and all delegates expressed a keen interest to take this forward at regional and branch level.
