The management and employees of Southern Star today invited Business Eswatini and TUCOSWA to intervene in the ongoing industrial relations dispute between the company and its employees. Management felt it was necessary that mediation and dialogue be facilitated by neutral parties to ensure that a speedy resolution which is acceptable to all parties is arrived at.

TUCOSWA was represented by the Secretary General Mr. Mduduzi Gina and Business Eswatini was represented by the CEO Mr. E. Nathi Dlamini. The intervention comes after one of the company trucks was torched on Monday morning.

Southern Star Logistics is the only company in eSwatini to hold all three ISO Management Systems, these being ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001. Further, the RTMS (Road Transport Management System) regulates the Company’s strict adherence to driver safety, vehicle safety, road safety and environmental safety. Its onsite training facility is accredited and all drivers are trained and assessed in-house. 

The Company operates and manages a fleet of over 126 vehicles which cover over 800,000 kilometres a month. The company has a workforce of about 350 staff on Southern Star’s books, all of whom benefit from an on-site primary health facility that is managed by a registered occupational health practitioner. 

E. Nathi Dlamini said the size of the company and the essential service provided by it made it necessary for them to come on site to help resolve all the dispute because the economy cannot afford any more business disruptions. Business Eswatini and TUCOSWA are hopeful that the matter will be resolved amicably.