BLLAHWU’s 50 years journey
Ryder Gabathuse | Monday February 7, 2022 06:00
Motshegwa told Mmegi in an interview yesterday that all was set for September when the union will commemorate its hard-earned achievements and challenges.
The union started in 1972 as the Botswana Local Authorities Union or simply BLAWU until laws changed in 1974, which transformed the union into an association called Botswana Unified Local Government Service Association (BULGSA). In 2007, the trade union became Botswana Land Boards Local Authorities Workers Union (BLLAWU), which later saw it changing the name to the current BLLAHWU after it included health workers who were leaving the councils to join the central government. “This is the brief history of the existence of the union and we celebrate it as 50 years of radicalism and militancy for workers,” said the visibly excited trade unionist.
BLLAHWU has a certain culture that is peculiar to it and as a trade union its role is to advance and deepen workers’ rights. Motshegwa describes the union as class conscious: “As we purely struggle for workers rights first with understanding of what workers rights entail.” He further described the union’s struggle as economic struggle characterised by militancy and radicalism highlighting their position on various issues of interest is widely known. “Workers have a role to play in social and economic issues,” said the militant trade unionist and added: “We believe we can’t just focus only on bread and butter issues and what we call gumboots trade unions. We believe that our role transcends beyond workplace issues.
We have a role to play in socio, economic and political issues.” In his view, BLLAHWU really takes a leading role as to what to do without fear citing the events of the 2011 public service sector strike when they were on the lead. He is adamant that BLLAHWU is a cradle and torchbearer of labour politics in Botswana. One of the successes of the union according to Motshegwa is that they managed to transform from an association in 2007 into a formidable trade union to date.
They realised that for a trade union to grow, it requires strong administration and that is why they have an office with various departments such as industrial relations, regional offices (six of them) with branches where there are fully-fledged offices. They have the headquarters with pertinent offices such as finance, insurance, ICT, legal and others including the investment wing.
He emphasised that to run an effective trade union, it requires finance as it is the one that finances the operations and activities of the union. He is elated that the union has a growing investment wing that is supportive to other operations. “A union will always thrive well where there is good governance. We have put in place good and proper internal mechanisms, accounting policy so that we ensure good governance for the sustainability of the trade union,” he said.
Winning cases at court, dispute resolution measures and attending disciplinary cases, ensuring that members don’t lose their jobs and representing members even at consultative meetings are some of the roles that the union serve upon their members.
The union also does its very best to ensure that the conditions of work for the workers are improved. Now, 50 years later, at BLLAHWU because of the militancy and radicalism of the union, even employers respect the union for what it represents. BLLAHWU’s main principle is that of solidarity and as a union they don’t exist in isolation as there are other trade unions that they work with. “There is this principle of uniting workers. It is all our responsibility; we have decided to take this as one of our main functions.
There are three public sector trade unions and our role is to unite them,” he told Mmegi. At BLLAHWU, he thinks more than any other trade unions, what they have achieved the more is leadership re-generation as almost every six years; the union is capable of producing new leaders. In the past, BLLAHWU had Gabatsoswe Lebitsa and Pelotshweu Baeng at the helm and now it is Motshegwa and the current crop of leadership. “I can tell you that more leaders will be coming on board. Unlike other unions that take long with just the same leadership, at BLLAHWU our leadership does change,” he said indicating that they are capable of producing new leadership. Quizzed if they were not experiencing any divisive issues at the trade union, Motshegwa was quick to indicate that where there is more than one person, differences are inevitable.
Their winning formula, however, is that they allow open and robust debate within the union which has left people fulfilled about the goings on. Motshegwa was worried that it seems some employers just saw the change in labour laws in 2007 when ILO Conventions were ratified without the requisite proper capacity building. He was also worried that whilst there was a paradigm shift from a unilateral type of system to collective bargaining, government still feels it can just make decisions without involving workers.
As for relations with other trade unions, he describes them as cordial and highlighted that they are the cradle and torchbearer of trade unionism. BLLAHWU has long taken a position on politics and he says this is a question long settled in the 17th century, as trade unionism by nature is political. “Trade unions are social actors and we participate in socio-economic issues. Salary increment negotiations is part of the budget system and budget is a political process that is decided by a political institution called Parliament.” He conceded that in the past, through the federation BOFEPUSU, they supported the UDC at the 2014 polls, but they are keen to maintain their independence so that the political parties don’t hijack their agenda. As for the impending general election in 2024, Motshegwa indicated that there will be no time for neutrality as it was the case in 2019 elections. He indicated that conditions prevalent now were pushing enough for people to remove the current government.
He cited the controversial Criminal, Procedure and Evidence Act Bill, which is before Parliament as one of the conditions pushing for the removal of the current government.