Rival trade unions meet
Oarabile Mosikare | Wednesday December 10, 2014 15:11
Sponsored by the Southern Africa Trade Union Coordination Council (SATUCC) and Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung, the study was undertaken by Dr Trywell Kalusopa and Dr Kaelo Molefhe in March. Its objective is to support the internal self-reform process of the trade unions in Botswana.
BOFEPUSU secretary general, Tobokani Rari, confirmed the Big Five Hotel meeting in Mogoditshane on Saturday. “We had that meeting. The purpose was to look at the report and validate it,” said Rari.
He said all the attendants had their observations and the researchers were asked to poke some holes in the report. Each affiliate was requested to send three delegates, but the country’s biggest union, the National Amalgamated Local and Central Government and Parastatal Workers Union (NALCGPWU), did not send delegates.
Rari said NALCGPWU did not attend because it had a governing council over the weekend. “They informed me that the meeting clashed with their scheduled governing council meeting and would not be able to attend,” explained Rari. Leadership of BFTU and SATUCC could not be reached for comment.
The researchers noted that the relationship between the state and trade unions is akin to that of a ‘master-servant’ one. “For example, trade union roles are restrictive in tripartite structures such as the Bargaining Council, Labour Advisory Board and Minimum Wages Advisory Board. In most cases, the state is not bound to accept any of the trade union views or propositions in these forums,” reads the report.
They also found out that trade union-political party relationship in Botswana is not membership driven and well thought out. “Trade union-political party relationship in Botswana is weak. For much of its post-independence existence, trade unions in the country remained largely ‘passive’ in terms of active engagement in the political process. This is ironic because the pre-independence period was principally characterised by strong trade union-political relations,” reads the report.