Over 4,000 Threaten To Boycott Elections In Phikwe
Onalenna Kelebeile | Monday August 25, 2014 17:55
The BCL Mine is the largest single employer in Phikwe, employing 4,100 workers. But the workers are holding out for a 12 percent salary adjustment while the mine has offered six percent, and they have decided to escalate their demands by boycotting the elections.
Botswana Mine Workers Union official Joseph Tsimako confirmed this and explained that since they petitioned BCL board chairman Dr Akolang Tombale in May they are yet to receive feedback. He said the fact that government now wholly owns BCL means that Tombale reports to the Minister of Minerals Energy and Water Resources and said this now means that government is silent on their concerns.
The union and BCL Mine have been at loggerheads over salary negotiations since April as the union shunned the six percent offer.
Tsimako also stressed that their decision to boycott the general elections was not motivated by party politics. “Some politicians continue to address rallies to say that we are endorsing some political parties at the expense of others.
We are looking at the interests of workers not of politicians and we have never made any decision to support any political party,” he said.
Tsimako further regretted that politicians are the ones who should be assisting workers in the fight for their rights rather than attacking the union.
“The bottom line is, no participation in the coming elections if our concerns are not addressed. It is just unfortunate that the issue is unnecessarily being politicised,” he said.
He added that they are currently working on rules of the strike. BCL Mine’s public relations and marketing manager James Molosankwe confirmed that the mine and the union are working on the rules of the strike.