Local Gov't Abolishes 50% Vacant Council Positions
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday March 15, 2021 20:55
Failure to have submitted such a list, according to the employer, would result in the ministry coming up with its resolution.
The savingram dated March 9, 2021 by Onalenna Sechele reads: “Please be informed that Cabinet through Presidential Directive CAB 06 EXO/2020 directed that equivalence of 50% of vacant positions as at April 1, 2021, in value terms be abolished.
You are therefore requested to submit 50% equivalence of vacant positions to be abolished in your respective Local authorities/departments on or before March 12, 2021. Please note that if you fail to submit by March 12, 2021, the ministry will make a decision on positions to be forfeited.”
The Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU) secretary- general, Thusang Butale said they we concerned about the freezing of positions since the government is just doing it to reduce the wage bill.
“It was important for the government to make an analysis first on how important these vacant positions are.
The analysis will have helped government to know some workers who are forced to do two jobs while they are paid for one. Government should tell us how it is going to pay such employees and some who have been acting for certain positions without being promoted. This is a cheat to employees and it will demoralise the mood of those workers,” Butale said.
The union secretary-general added it was not fair for councils to even have been given three days to have made a decision on what post they want to abolish or not.
He said if the government takes a decision not to employ in a time of a high unemployment rate coupled with the private sector retrenching so many of its employees, one wonders what the country would look like in due course.
He continued: “It is the government’s responsibility to create jobs for Batswana as a way of delivering on its mandate.
Again, it is sad news for customers because there is going to be poor service delivery due to the workload that some workers are facing.
If one is forced to do two jobs at the same time, even if one tries, there is one that will suffer.
The workload is going to be too much. The government complains that it does not have money. I wonder if it will be able to pay overtime for workers. (For councils,) 50% of vacant positions is a lot and we cannot just abolish those vacancies like that.”