Trade unions set political support conditions
Ryder Gabathuse | Monday March 27, 2023 06:00
With an estimated membership of affiliates standing at around 100,000, the Botswana Federation of Public, Private and Parastatal Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) has adopted a principle it strongly feels for whichever party or individual is targeting their votes in the 2024 General Election should subscribe to. But first, BOFEPUSU secretary-general Tobokani Rari explains that in the 2019 General Election, BOFEPUSU left to the general membership to exercise their minds and see what suits them in terms of who and how they voted. “In 2020, the federation engaged in an exercise that culminated in the production of a workers’ charter or a workers manifesto if you like, that guides the collective position of the federation in so far as the decision to vote is concerned,” militant trade unionist, Rari explained to Mmegi this week in an interview. Starting in June, the BOFEPUSU leadership has planned to distribute copies of the workers’ charter to all its stakeholders. The charter was duly unveiled in 2020. At some stage, the federation would host a symposium speaking to the workers’ charter and address all those that have an interest in the 2024 General Election including political parties, individuals, civic organisations, and non-political actors. Rari says the workers’ charter contains the views of workers on various pertinent issues. He emphasises that like-minded organisations in their context will be those whose manifestos speak clearly without ambiguity about the issues of the workers. “We would then later determine after duly assessing our potential like-minded partners through their manifestos and others. This time around, we don’t want the social actors to tell us about themselves but they would hear from us,” he said, indicating that they will be dictating terms rather than the other way round.
Thus far, Rari is adamant that no party has approached them suggesting any form of relationship in the 2024 General Election. If any party would approach them, they will cross the bridge when they get to it. After the 2019 General Election, BOFEPUSU has been monitoring the situation and one of the yardsticks for a like-minded political organisation would be how such a political party or individual has been working with the federation on various issues of interest. Against a strong view that BOFEPUSU affiliates have a possible leaning towards opposition parties, Rari dismisses that school of thought to be devoid of substance describing it as a figment of peoples’ imaginations.
He is, however, privy to social media commentaries suggesting that BOFEPUSU has a leaning towards opposition parties. “I want to repeat the story that some people know that in 2019 we had informed affiliate members of BOFEPUSU to vote with their conscience. Unfortunately, it still doesn’t make sense to some people,” he says. BOFEPUSU would continue as the watchdog of the workers’ rights. The federation just can’t keep quiet when the powers that be trample upon the rights of the workers. Sometimes in the pursuit of workers’ rights, the actions of the federation are misconstrued as the actions of opposition politicians. “By the way, workers' rights are also politically related although without political activism. We deal with issues of economy, discussing salary-related matters which are political,” he says indicating that they simply deal with general politics and not political party activism. Rari warned that opposition parties should not rest on their laurels thinking they have support from trade unions. To him, trade unions will lend support to a party that speaks to workers’ issues. It will also come at a time when BOFEPUSU will assess political parties and how they have been doing in Parliament on workers' issues whether in minority or not. He stressed that there is no automatic lending of support to any political party. His position is that labour power is not for sale and political parties and individuals interested would have to earn it. Since BOFEPUSU membership is drawn from people with diverse political interests, Rari explains: “People could hold membership cards of varying political parties and we may differ on various things, but the common denominator is outlined as the workers’ charter or manifesto. Even when we conclude not supporting one party, it will be based on the blueprint that we have.” It was during the 2019 General Election that BOFEPUSU leadership and general membership were caught off-guard by an issue whereupon some members of the leadership of the federation contested the general election.
“Look, it just exploded. All those wishing to contest the elections from the leadership, left us divided, as we didn’t know how to immediately handle it. Now, those wishing to contest we would see how they are supported as individuals within the context of the workers’ charter,” he emphasised. In the latest developments, the federation would see those interested in contesting for elections declaring and giving the federation’s top echelons sufficient time to preside over such requests and pass their judgement.
It is the federation’s wish to have one or some of their own elected to Parliament and duly articulate workers' issues from an informed position. Another federation, Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU) does not endorse a political party during the general election in any way. “We have a different approach whereupon we empower our members to look at various issues. During the 2019 General Election, we came out with a manifesto to gauge and compare our manifesto with those of the political parties. Mind you, our constitution does not allow us to be partisan,” BFTU secretary-general, Thusang Butale tells Mmegi.
Now, because the decision is a constitutional one, no union structure except congress can change this provision. From June this year, BFTU will issue its elections manifesto in an endeavour to influence the drafting of manifestos of political parties ahead of the 2024 General Election. The notion is to influence political parties to encapsulate issues of the workers.
“We educate our members on workers' demands: Public safety, unemployment, corruption, social protection, healthcare, and education amongst others. We have demands in all these areas,” he says. “We can only influence that politicians should carry our issues on board as they campaign for elections and not endorsing political parties,” insists the trade unionist.