AMADI College lecturers’ salaries dilemma, strike looming

Mbabane: Tough times!

Lecturers from the AMADI city campus are sent from pillar to post when it comes to receiving their salaries as they alleged to have not been paid for the second month now.

Independent news has established through its well-placed sources that the lecturers from the institution are anticipating to lay down their tools as they have not received their salaries for September and October.

In an interview with this publication, one of the lecturers from AMADI city campus in Manzini who elected to comment on anonymous state said they are working under unconducive conditions at the institution more especially because they are now on the second month without being paid. Mgcini Sibandze* narrated to this reporter what is happening in their work station, saying what hurts the most is that when they enquire about their payments, the administration of the college does not give them straight answers instead they are being threatened to be fired.

Sibandze said sometimes their administrator Simphiwe Mahlalela once gave them what their described as lame excuse saying the reason they cannot get paid was because students have not paid their tuition fees.

He further stated that early September, they were only given outstanding balances for the month of August, not salaries for September.

When sought for comment the city campus administrator Simphiwe Mahlalela could not deny nor confirm the matter what is allegedly happening at the institution but she was quick to refer all questions to the institution’s Human Resource manager Lindokuhle Shongwe.

Shongwe said she was shocked that the lectures did not exhaust all other means in a bid to express their grievances but they ran to the media. She said lecturers from the institution are aware that the college generates most of its revenue from tuition fees paid by students. She said students pay usually on the exact last day of the month hence after that the management then look at how much they have received from the students then they pay the lecturers from then.   

Shongwe said she was not aware of the matter of the lecturers not being paid for two months as it was not an issue reported to her office. She said what she only knows is that for the month of October it was well communicated with the lecturers that their salaries will be a bit delayed for this month and they will get paid on the 10^th of November.

 Shongwe said as for September salaries she understand that even on that month it was also communicated that salaries would be delayed as well. When asked that apparently for September the lecturers ended not getting paid, she said she was not aware that the lecturers ended up not getting paid, but she will follow up with the administrator.

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