We have always argued that unions could broaden their mandate and move beyond arguing for workers' rights in the narrow sense of the term. In the past unions in Botswana, although perhaps the most important arm of this nation's civil society, have been not just docile but timid and unable to shake the political foundations and become major players in the public arena. Our union movement has been frozen in time, caged within a narrow and neo-liberal, in the conservative sense of the word, cage. They had been sold the idea that their role should be limited to negotiating for salary increments and nothing else. So when they called that press conference we thought we would hear the same old story - presentations on their problems with collective bargaining. We were, therefore, pleasantly surprised to see a new union leadership. Led by Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU)'s Andrew Motsamai and his colleagues from Botswana Secondary Teachers Union, Botswana Teachers Union, Botswana Land Boards and Local Authorities Workers Union, and Manual Workers Union, the press conference turned into an extensive review of the problems buffeting this nation. Union leaders hauled our Parliament over coal fires, for its ineptitude and being "lame duck institution pandering to the dictates of the executive". This is a very welcome development because unions have been the absent player in our civil landscape. We hope they take their newfound confidence and courage to new levels and become part of the national conversation in a practical way. Unions seem ready to take advantage of their power to not just call industrial action but to form alliances with the right political forces to champion the cause of the downtrodden. We think this could be the start of a new era if the union movement kept its word. We now would like to see them unified under one federation - the Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU) - so that BFTU becomes the rallying point for all those who are serious about the development of a strong union movement in this country.
Local procurement welcome
