BOPEU changes BURS strike tactics to go-slow
Spira Tlhankane | Friday August 7, 2015 16:57
Briefing the media on Wednesday, the BOPEU president, Andrew Motsamai announced that BOPEU met and consulted with the striking workers and agreed on a change of tactics.
“Going forward, we intend to embark on an action short of a strike whereat, the industrial action will assume a combination of a go-slow, a sit in, a work-to-rule approach as well as a two-days once a month of total withdrawal of labour,” said Motsamai.
Motsamai said the new path they intend to traverse takes into account BOPEU’s desire to mitigate possible adverse effects experienced by Batswana and visitors going in and out of the country’s port of entries.
He however said that BOPEU would leave out other details relating to the new approach for strategic reasoning. He said the reason for the change of tactics was because the government was taking the BURS employees for granted.
“We will continue to hurt the economy of the employer if the employer continues in this route,” he said. Motsamai said they would continue to frustrate the employer because the go-slow tactic would eventually affect BURS.
“We are not retreating, BURS knows what the go-slow will do to them, eventually they will see that enough is enough,” he said.
Motsamai further said with the new go-slow tactic, they believe they could hurt the employer more when they are in the inside. He acknowledged that they have been facing challenges such as the the decline in the number of strikers. “When the employer writes a letter to threaten our members, some of them go back but we have been trying to convince them to rejoin the strike,” he said. Motsamai assured that the employees would still get paid because there is a strike fund available for every striking member. “We endeavour to utilise our strike fund to cover all employees exercising their democratic rights to strike as and when called to take part in the full blown strike,” he said.
Motsamai also confirmed that they had received correspondence from Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and they would meet with BDP today (Friday).
Motsamai also added that the last two weeks had been the most difficult days for the country as whole. “It never occurred to us that the Botswana government in collusion with management of BURS would demonstrate such high levels of aloofness and lack of interest to the extent of allowing paralysis of the second most important revenue source of the country,” he said. As the BURS strike changes into a go slow after the 14 days had elapsed, BURS management has prepared a letter that would be given to the striking members of BOPEU.
By voluntarily signing the letter, the striking employees would be pleading with BURS management to accept their request to work and hence abandon BOPEU’s decision to continue with an indefinite strike. The letter also said they would not participate in any go-slow during working hours.
BOPEU, through their attorney Joseph Kookantse from Ramalepa Attorneys, have written to the BURS management asking the latter to confirm or deny origin of the BURS letter. The letter written from BOPEU argued that the contents of the BURS letter are unlawful in the clearest of manners. “BOPEU has on many occasions implored BURS management not to deal directly with the union members. Despite such plea, BOPEU is worried that BURS continues to act in clear disregard of both the law and the Collective Labour Agreement signed by the parties,” the letter read.
BOPEU further implored BURS management to handle such matters in a lawful manner at all times. “The Union is entitled to be undertaking the current strike. The Union will decide if it wants to change approach and what next move it shall take. Management has no right to influence union members to act against decisions of the Union,” the letter read. BOPEU will approach the court on urgency should the BURS management forge ahead with the letter.