Teachers� Unions Seek International Support

Baboki Kayawe | Monday July 27, 2015 15:20

Attendants of the world congress of the Education International (EI) recently report that its general secretary Fred van Leeuwen has condemned the categorisation of teachers as essential service against the International Labour Organisation framework definition. 

The delegation consists of Botswana Sectors of Trade Unions (BOSETU) representations: Kwenasebele Modukanele - president, Tobokani Rari - Secretary General, BOSETU and gender secretary Refilwe Malemane, as well as Botswana Teacher Union (BTU) leaders president Johannes Tshukudu and vice president- gender and human rights, Rachel Meshack.

BOSETU secretary general, Rari said in a media statement authored last Thursday while in Canada; where the congress is held that Leeuwen responded to their ‘emergency situation’- in which the government has moved without consultation to effect changes in the Trade Dispute Act. 

“We the affiliate of EI from Botswana (BOSETU and BTU) would like to draw your attention to an emergency situation in which the Botswana government has moved without consultation to propose the amendment of the Trade Dispute Act to the Parliament of Botswana to categorise teachers under essential service,” read the plea to the EI.  The teacher unions wrote that they strongly and firmly believe that this proposed amendment did not only infringe on their rights, but also ran in the face of the ILO framework definition of essential service.

“We feel as well that this amendment which is going to take away a fundamental right of teachers and other workers to withdraw labour, the only right that gives workers a bargaining power, was surreptitiously without proper, truthful and meaningful consultation sneaked through Parliament,” read the statement.  The EI is reported to have condemned it, saying that it runs against the framework definition of essential service.

Leeuwn has promised that the EI would engage the ILO over the issue with a view of engaging the government of Botswana to abide by the framework.  The EI’s response came after the two teacher unions, BOSETU and Botswana.

In addition to the union decrying lack of consultation on the move, they also noted that through this move government would take away the only right that workers have when everything else fails in the work; the right to strike. 

“Government has attempted to rectify the breach that was upheld by the courts by taking the proposed amendments to the Labour Advisory Council to honour procedure, published the draft bill on the government gazette, and took it to Parliament for discussions and ultimate adoption,” according to Rari.

The Trade Dispute Bill was on the Parliamentary order paper for the business of July 6, 2015 and underwent its first reading the following day.

It is yet to go through the second reading and ultimate discussion for the amendments to be passed into law.

The 7th IE world congress that was held in Ottawa, Canada ended yesterday.