He stated that ILO statutes give workers freedom to engage in collective bargaining and their leaders cannot be sacked for exercising their rights.
BFTU says that employers in Botswana feel they are right, hence the stalemate in labour relations. This then calls for the intervention of the ILO to break the impasse. BFTU feels that the ILO should engage the Botswana government because it has ratified its convention but does not show the political will to act on the deteriorating labour relations in the country.
The deteriorating labour relations has led to the sacking of union leaders at the Debswana mines for their role in an industrial strike that saw 461 workers losing their jobs last year. Among the sacked union leaders were
BMWU chairman, Chimbidzani Chimidza, and the general secretary, Jack Tlhagale. The BCL also sacked some union leaders from work for accessing confidential information at the mine.
