VETERINARY workers, represented by the National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU), have threatened to stop the foot and mouth disease (FMD) mass vaccination rollout pending a resolution to their longstanding grievances.
However, Minister of Agriculture Mandla Tshawuka dismissed calls to halt the campaign, arguing that the vaccination programme was unrelated to the grievances raised.
“The country desperately needs this vaccination exercise. It would be unfair to stop it,” he said.
Tshawuka accused the workers of effectively holding the country to ransom, saying government would not allow that to happen.
The threat to boycott the exercise was made yesterday during a meeting at the old agriculture offices in Manzini, where the workers adopted three firm resolutions in response to what they described as longstanding concerns, including unpaid overtime and hardship allowances.
The workers warned that the planned mass vaccination campaign against FMD would not proceed unless ongoing consultations over their welfare grievances were concluded, failing which they would seek a court interdict.
Through NAPSAWU, the employees resolved to formally notify the ministries of agriculture and public service that the nationwide vaccination drive must be suspended until negotiations were finalised and written agreements reached. Should government proceed without consensus, the union said it would approach the courts to halt the exercise.
In a further show of dissatisfaction, the workers declared that with overtime payments still outstanding, they would strictly observe official working hours, reporting for duty at 8am and working standard eight-hour shifts in line with other civil servants.
They also demanded the immediate termination of contracts for retired veterinary officers who have been recalled to assist with the FMD response. According to the workers, funds used to pay recalled retirees should instead be directed towards settling overtime arrears owed to active staff.
It was agreed during the meeting that both ministries would be informed of the resolutions in writing by close of business yesterday.
The resolutions followed a briefing by NAPSAWU Case Manager Sibusiso Mtshali, who told members that efforts to engage the ministry of public service over their grievances had allegedly resulted in them being referred back to the ministry of agriculture.
Mtshali claimed that during negotiations, union representatives insisted that before the vaccination campaign begins, there must be a clear agreement guaranteeing compensation for long and irregular working hours, including weekends and public holidays — provisions, he said, already stipulated in government general orders.
He further argued that employees who remained behind while their colleagues were deployed for FMD-related duties should be compensated for the additional workload they absorb.
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On hardship allowances, he said the ministry had assured them that efforts were underway to resolve the matter, but no timeline had been provided for a bilateral meeting to determine the way forward, despite a firm date already having been set for the vaccination rollout.
Mtshali also alleged that when the union requested a postponement of the campaign pending the conclusion of talks, ministry officials indicated that the exercise would proceed “with or without” the workers’ involvement — a statement he described as shocking and made in bad faith.
Meanwhile, addressing concerns over the recall of retired veterinary officers, Tshawuka said the decision was prompted by a shortage of qualified personnel to manage the FMD outbreak.
He said as of his last update, three retired officers had been brought back, though that number could increase.
He added that government might be compelled to recall more retired veterinary officers because the Botswana-based company supplying the 70,000 vaccine doses has stipulated that the four-week vaccination campaign must be conducted under the supervision of qualified veterinary officers. Failure to comply, he said, could leave the company unaccountable should the programme fail.
“With the current shortage of active veterinary officers, we have no choice but to recall some retirees,” Tshawuka said.
He categorically rejected the union’s demand to terminate the contracts of recalled officers and redirect those funds to overtime payments.
The minister added that government had also engaged recently graduated cordon guards and veterinary assistants to bolster capacity, as existing personnel numbers were insufficient to carry out the urgent national exercise.
