A defiant Modise told the Monitor that he got himself into trouble when he voiced out his feelings that the union was beginning to betray the workers' struggle. He said when they were negotiating during the restructuring exercise, two union executive committee members, Mavis Koogotsitse and Kopano Nthobatsang, were appointed to represent the management side. The officials in question do not hold management positions. Modise said he questioned this decision and brought the matter to the attention of the chairman, Reginald Kolwane, but he never took any action.

"I questioned the credibility of the Secretary General, Koogotsitse, playing the role of the management. I objected that we couldn't have our Secretary General representing the management. I wrote a letter to the chairman but he never responded," he said. Koogotsitse has since left for further studies in the United States. Modise said he also requested the chairman to call a meeting so that they could discuss the issue of the union's representatives negotiating on the management's side. He claims that he was sabotaged and this meeting was called off. He said another meeting was called in October where other executive committee members grilled him about a letter that he had written to the chairman. However, he said that they could not point out what was wrong with the letter.

He said officials of the union borrowed P2, 000 from a micro lender to cater for the meeting in Palapye. Modise said the officials were not authorised to borrow on behalf of the union. He argued that one could not take a loan on behalf of the union when it had not been authorised by the executive. Modise said in October last year, the management addressed the union about the restructuring exercise. During this meeting, he made submissions on the repercussions of restructuring. The expelled official said he was rebuked by other union officials in front of the management, adding that the Secretary General verbally abused him. He said after this incident, the union called an emergency meeting where the letters that he wrote to the Chairman were to be discussed. Modise said he was ordered to leave the meeting.

He was later told that he had been suspended from the union. He was later taken back because the union wrote to the management that they had suspended him even before informing the general membership.

Modise said he was suspended without being given a hearing and he was surprised that even a trade union could act like that.

After he was suspended, he wrote to the general membership, explaining what happened. Modise said union members wrote to the executive committee to call a meeting and explain the goings-on in the union. He said the members also wanted to know what follow-ups were made on the resolutions that were made at the annual general meeting. He noted that one of these resolutions was that the financial records should be re-audited. Another of the resolutions was that since the corporation was to be restructured, the union should submit a position paper to guide the management.

He said the Secretary General received the letter but did not call a meeting. It was at this point, he said, that some members of the union decided to suspend their subscriptions. He indicated that so far, more than 300 members have withdrawn their subscriptions. Modise said, at some stage, the chairman and other officials went to Palapye to address a meeting. He said during this meeting, the executive committee confessed that one of their members took P7, 000 from the union coffers to buy a new engine for his car. He said, after the meeting, more union members resolved to suspend their subscriptions. Modise told the Monitor that the union members resolved to call their own meeting to map the way forward but the chairman threatened them with legal action. He insists that the union officials misrepresented the workers during the negotiating process for the restructuring exercise. He said workers wanted to be paid for 60 days as part of the retrenchment package but the union only negotiated 37 days. To him, this is an indication that the other officials have sold out the union to the management. "They have misrepresented the union. The honourable thing that they should do is to resign."

He added that there is also a suspicion that some committee members have looted the union. He slammed what he termed unnecessary expenditure by other officials. He said some of the executive committee members based in Palapye have been undertaking frequent trips to Gaborone where they booked at expensive hotels. He said they also claimed mileage at the expense of the union.

He feels that the executive committee members would like to see the union disbanding so that they do not account for the funds. Modise said last week Kolwane went to Palapye to address the workers but the meeting reached a stalemate. He said Kolwane demanded that workers who have suspended their subscriptions should leave the meeting but it only emerged that he had also skipped payment the previous month.

When he was contacted, Kolwane initially said he was not going to make a comment. However, he agreed to an appointment when he was pressed further. During the appointed time, Kolwane made it clear that he was not going to comment on anything said by Modise because he was no longer a member of the union. Kolwane said he only agreed to make an appointment because he wanted to meet the reporter.

Meanwhile, Modise has threatened that he would continue to mobilise workers to suspend paying subscriptions to a "sell out" executive. He said they wanted to see the union in the hands of officials who care about the workers' interests.