Matambo doesn�t know cost of BURS strike
Baboki Kayawe | Tuesday August 4, 2015 15:30
Moreover, he says the tools downing has minimal impact on security because law enforcement agencies, being the police and immigration departments continue to provide services uninterrupted.
When responding to an urgent question fielded by Ndaba Gaolathe of Gaborone Bonnington South, Matambo told Parliament yesterday that, “it is too early to judge and come to a conclusion”.
Gaolathe had wanted Matambo to update and brief the House on the strike, including provision of an assessment on the potential negative impact on the economy and security of Botswana to date.
Further, he asked whether the five percent difference that Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU) is asking for and what BURS management is willing to offer is not less than the enormous loss the economy is suffering.
BOPEU moved from its initial 15 percent salary hike, to 12 percent and eventually the revised proposal of 11 percent while BURS management has maintained it could not offer anything more than six percent similar to what government awarded to public employees in April.
To this Matambo said he is not able to provide that comparison yet. Selebi-Phikwe West MP, Dithapelo Keorapetse requested that since Matambo could not offer a specific figure he should rather update Parliament on how the flow of goods and revenue collections have been affected.
Still, Matambo maintained it is premature to do so.
“No, I don’t think I would like to engage in speculation to pass judgement on whether the impact is little or big,” he said.
“There is some slowness obviously in the handling of goods, however they sometimes flow in an hour or two hours late compared to when the full staff is present at work,” he said.
He added that workers may not be enough presently at border posts, but there are people, though not performing as efficiently as when there is no disturbance.
“At headquarters and inland offices, most of the personnel; approximately 80 % have continued to work. Therefore, revenue collections and customer service at these areas have generally been satisfactory,” Matambo said.
Some of the interventions put in place by BURS management to minimise its impact include establishment suspension of non-urgent business, such as taxpayer audits and redeployment of staff to BURS operational units among others.