BOFEPUSU recognition commendable

Mmegi Editor | Tuesday October 6, 2015 11:17

When lawmakers came up with the idea of Public Service Act, which came to effect in 2008, they must have had in mind a vibrant public sector that has a right to negotiate with the employer for better working conditions. They also must have been thinking of a strong and ethical working class. It took time, and resistance from the powers that be, for the public sector unions to be a great service to their members.

Now with the recognition, BOFEPUSU can engage with the International Labour Organisation; solicit assistance from donors and other organisations; and also qualify for government subsidies.

BOFEPUSU will also have a right to mobilise workers and educate them on their rights without having to kneel or crawl before employers for such. It is therefore commendable that after these years, BOFEPUSU has now gotten the recognition it fought for.  The workforce should see this as a big opportunity and tap into the experience and knowledge of BOFEPUSU on labour matters.

We also hope that the flood of court cases between BOFEPUSU and the government, as a result of poor consultation on the part of government, will slow down and ultimately come to a halt.

Since BOFEPUSU form part of the Labour Advisory Board, we hope that they will fight for better working conditions, pushing for, among other things, better minimum wage.

We hope that this board will also divide sectors and recommend different minimum wages for different sectors.

This recognition will definitely improve working relations between the government and BOFEPUSU and it is our hope that in the future, none of the parties will make unilateral decisions on matters affecting workers.

We also appeal to civil servants to review their ‘go slow’ policy, which has seriously affected service delivery in public offices.  Even more painful, this form of industrial action has negatively impacted on the quality of education as some teachers go to the classroom to pass time.

The recent results on national examinations are a true reflection of what this go-slow has done to us. We may not have a scientific study on this subject, but it has also claimed lives in hospitals, that would otherwise have been saved.

We call for cool heads as we enter a new page in the history of this country and hope that this will lead to a ceasefire in this unending war between BOFEPUSU and government.

 

Today’s thought

“The trade union movement represents the organised economic power of the workers... It is in reality the most potent and the most direct social insurance the workers can establish”. 

– Samuel Gompers