We Will Block BOPEU � Motshwarakgole
Monkagedi Gaothobogwe | Monday February 1, 2016 16:24
Speaking to a packed meeting of the Gaborone Region of Manual Workers Union at Boipuso Hall alongside other union bigwigs on Thursday, the federation labour secretary Johnson Motshwarakgole said BOFEPUSU has signed an agreement with the Bargaining Council that would ensure that BOPEU does not participate.
The veteran unionist said BOPEU’s application for membership into the Bargaining Council had come at an awkward time when salary negotiations had to start in earnest ahead of the start of the new financial year, which is only a few weeks ahead. He said discussing BOPEU’s membership of the Bargaining Council might result in the negotiating parties taking too much time at the expense of the workers who need a salary increment, as well as decent working conditions for public service employees.
He promised to update them on the outcome of negotiations on February 4 at a meeting to be held at the Civic Centre hall.
According to Motshwarakgole, BOPEU only had itself to blame for missing the train because they had known all along that they wanted to participate in the Bargaining Council as a separate entity from BOFEPUSU.
Motshwarakgole further told the gathering that BOFEPUSU is actually the Bargaining Council, pointing out that some BOFEPUSU officials also sit in the Public Service Bargaining Council (PSBC). BOPEU, along with partners BONU, BOGOWU and TAWU recently applied for membership of the PSBC. A fortnight ago, the PSBC secretariat informed BOFEPUSU that ahead of the salary negotiations, the BOPEU and partners’ application into the PSBC would also be considered. The federation immediately took up the matter with the Industrial Court to challenge the inclusion of that agenda item. BOFEPUSU would later withdraw the urgent application after lawyers of both parties reached an agreement whose contents have not been made public.