BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Immigration officers in the Ministry of Home Affairs will smile all the way to the bank, as they will be given 30 percent of their overtime allowances.
The overtime claims for the immigration officers date from January 1, 2015 to March 31, 2023. The initial amount claimed was E40 million and about 250 immigration officers had been affected by this development.
This transpired on March 4, 2025 at the Ministry of Public Service Conference Room, Mbabane. Minister of Public Service Mabulala Maseko, during a press conference on this development, mentioned that this was a result of successful negotiations between his Ministry and the National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU), which represented the immigration officers.
During the press conference, Maseko said following a series of engagements between the Government Negotiating Team (GNT) and NAPSAWU over the payment of the allowances, discussions continued on February 28, 2025. After angaging one another on the issues, the parties agreed that:
- His Majesty’s Government is committed to pay 30 percent of the total overtime claim for each officer.
- The effective date of payment shall be January 1, 2015 to March 31, 2023.
To conclude the discussions, parties signed a collective agreement to this effect on February 28, 2025. Maseko said this agreement emphasised His Majesty’s Government’s commitment in addressing and concluding issues of concern among employees in an amicable way.
The minister further emphasised that His Majesty’s Government also promoted a collaborative spirit between parties that lead to outcomes, which benefited all stakeholders. The minister also mentioned that they were going to visit other industries, with an intention of improving their working conditions.
He made an example of their recent visit to the SNAT Centre in Manzini, stating that they did this to show that as Government, they were not enemies to the workers, but they were stakeholders who wanted to ensure that workers performed under acceptable conditions, so that their conditions could be improved.
NAPSAWU President Bawinile Ndlovu confirmed what was said by Minister Maseko. Ndlovu said they reached an end of the agreement, especially because they looked at the duration of the negotiations. She said the negotiations were held for a long time now. She mentioned that they also considered the amount of the allowances that were claimed from the same employer. According to Ndlovu, what was also important was that the relationship between them and the Ministry of Public Service was improving.
Also present during the press conference were Ministry of Public Service acting Principal Secretary (PS) Richard Phungwayo, Chief Immigration Officer Mthokozisi Dlamini, and NAPSAWU Secretary General Msimeto Malindzisa.
