SEIWU President: Pay grants to workers who lost their jobs.
BY WENDY MAGAGULA
Swaziland News, 25th February 2021
MBABANE: Mashumi Shongwe, the President of the Swaziland Economic Improvement Workers Union(SEIWU) has called for the establishment of a Fund that will assist workers who lost their jobs in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and fourth industrial revolution. Speaking during the current affairs program on the Swaziland News audio channel when interviewed by editor Zweli Martin Dlamini, the SEIWU President noted that the job losses came with huge frustrations for the workers such that it was hard to establish businesses and be self-employed because consumers were also broke. “We are seeing people trying to earn a living through the establishment of various small businesses like Spazas but the main challenge is that consumers are broke, the challenge affecting the people is so big and we need to sit down and strategise for the benefit of everyone. It’s a pity that we don’t have social securities within the various companies including the textile industry, people are paid as little as E1800 and they are expected to sustain themselves with that money, we need to go back and discuss so we can improve the social challenges in our country” ,he said. The SEIWU President made these sentiments in the midst of challenges in the textile industry that might result to the loss of over 10 000 jobs due to uncertainties in South African markets.