BOFEPUSU in shambles
Chakalisa Dube | Tuesday September 19, 2023 06:00
However, the outgoing president of the federation, Johannes Tshukudu, described the federation as being in financial trouble, even nearing the brink of collapse.
His five-year tenure as BOFEPUSU president concluded Saturday at the federation's elective congress held here. Before stepping down, Tshukudu voiced his concerns about the severe financial and resource issues facing the federation.
He pointed out that several member unions consistently fail to meet their constitutional obligations regarding monthly subscriptions, resulting in the federation's inability to effectively pursue its mission. BOFEPUSU comprises 12 affiliates representing the public, private, and parastatal sectors, with the majority of subscriptions coming from public sector unions due to their stability and financial strength.
'The situation (financial challenges) was exacerbated by some public sector trade unions that, at one point, suspended their contributions (subscriptions) for nearly a year. This severely impacted the federation's cash flow and nearly paralysed its operations.
At one stage, only two public sector unions, BOSETU and BLLAWHU, were fulfilling their constitutional obligation regarding monthly subscriptions,' bemoaned Tshukudu.
He suspects that other trade unions in the public service may intentionally boycott or inconsistently pay subscriptions as a deliberate strategy to weaken the federation.
'We also suspect that high-ranking officials may influence this,' he added. These statements by Tshukudu imply that the plan to boycott subscription payments is likely influenced by the government, to undermine the federation's objectives. During the federation's elective congress on Saturday, there were unverified reports that some public sector trade unions recently settled their outstanding subscription fees in a bid to regain eligibility to participate in the congress. Tshukudu acknowledged that the dynamics surrounding the 2019 General Election also divided BOFEPUSU. Some affiliates believed that after the 2019 elections, the federation's leadership made a miscalculation by adopting a neutral stance, which ultimately benefited the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
The challenges arising from the lack of affiliation fee payments were also underscored in a report from the federation's outgoing secretary-general, Tobokani Rari. Rari noted that since the federation's establishment 11 years ago, it has only managed to employ two full-time staff members, who are an investment officer and an administrative officer.
He added financial constraints have hindered the federation's growth, particularly in terms of developing a well-defined organisational structure and securing the necessary resources. 'The apparent inaction on expanding our staff was primarily due to the financial instability of the federation, which made it uncertain whether we could sustain the compensation packages required for an expanded structure. During the period under review, several unions temporarily suspended their subscriptions, further straining the federation's finances,' Rari explained.