In the last general elections, Manual Workers Union came out in the open in their support for the Barata-Phati Faction within the ruling Botswana Democratic Party( BDP). The basis for their support of the Barata-Phati against the A-Team Faction was that the union was defending democracy. They had concluded that the suspension of the then party Secretary General, Gomolemo Motswaledi, by the Party leader and state President Ian Khama was undemocratic.
They sent out a communiqu to their members with one clear message; do not vote for any BDP candidate who is a member of the A-Team Faction. Attached to the message was a list of candidates not to be voted for. As recent as last week, the Manual Workers Union is reported to have endorsed the candidacy of Duma Boko for the Presidency of the Botswana National Front. This takes place in the backdrop of the recent meeting between the representatives of five public service trade unions; Manual Workers Union, BOPEU, BLLAWHU, BOSETU, BTU, and Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) during which the BMD is reported to have briefed the unions on the reasons for its formation and asked for support from the unions.
