Public servants deserve better than union infighting
Mmegi Editor | Monday August 3, 2026 06:00
‘The strongest bond of human sympathy outside the family relation should be one uniting working people of all nations and tongues and kindreds’.
- Abraham Lincoln
Until then, the Council’s operations remain suspended, delaying critical decisions affecting thousands of public sector employees.
The current standoff is between the Manual Workers Union on one side and the Six Cooperating Trade Unions, namely BONU, BOPEU, BTU, BDU, BOSETU and BLLAHWU. At the heart of the matter is a legal challenge over the lawful constitution of the PSBC.
The applicant, Manual Workers Union, seeks a declaration that it automatically became a member of the Council upon signing its constitution. Alternatively, it argues that the PSBC itself was not lawfully constituted, a finding that would require the entire establishment process to start afresh and invalidate the current constitution. There is nothing unusual about disagreements between employers and trade unions. Labour relations are, by nature, built on competing interests. What is deeply troubling, however, is when trade unions find themselves locked in bitter disputes with one another while the workers they claim to represent remain the biggest losers.
This dispute raises uncomfortable questions about priorities within the labour movement. While each side is entitled to pursue legal remedies, public servants cannot indefinitely become collateral damage in battles over organisational legitimacy and influence.
The suspension of the PSBC means salary negotiations and other important collective bargaining processes are effectively frozen at a time when many public servants continue to grapple with the rising cost of living. Court proceedings may determine legal rights, but they do little to ease the daily financial pressures facing nurses, teachers, doctors and other government employees. It is therefore, encouraging that the Six Cooperating Trade Unions have pledged to respect the judicial process while exploring alternative avenues for engaging the employer on salary negotiations. That commitment must translate into meaningful action rather than mere public relations. Workers expect solutions, not statements.
Equally, all parties must avoid inflammatory rhetoric and allow the courts to determine the legal questions before them. The rule of law remains the most appropriate avenue for resolving disputes of this magnitude, particularly where constitutional interpretation is concerned. When judgment is eventually delivered, the hope is not merely that there will be legal clarity, but that it will also mark the beginning of renewed cooperation within the trade union movement. A fragmented labour movement weakens collective bargaining and ultimately strengthens the hand of the employer. Public servants deserve trade union leaders who place workers’ welfare above institutional rivalries. The credibility of organised labour depends not only on winning court cases, but on demonstrating unity, maturity and an unwavering commitment to those whose voices they were elected to represent.