The split that weakened the voice
Ryder Gabathuse | Friday February 12, 2016 12:35
FRANCISTOWN: Before Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU) disaffiliated from BOFEPUSU following the trade union’s December elective congress resolution in Palapye, the power of united public employees gave the employer sleepless nights.
Upon its formation, BOFEPUSU affiliates included BOPEU, Botswana Sectors of Education Trade Union (BOSETU), Botswana Landboards, Local Authorities and Health Workers Union (BLLAHWU), Manual Workers Union (MWU), and Botswana Teachers Union (BTU).
Under BOFEPUSU, the public sector trade unions spoke with one voice, as their bigger picture was to advocate for the rights of workers as a collective.
Even in a collective there are differing views and the federation was not immune to that.
In a bold step during its elective congress in Palapye, BOPEU took a decision to disaffiliate from BOFEPUSU when it was least expected.
Although there have been unresolved issues that were dragging for too long, the move to disaffiliate has opened up an opportunity to break or make relations.
Lately, we witnessed heated exchanges between BOPEU and BOFEPUSU leadership manifesting in advertorials in the print media.
Both parties have had their fair share of attacks on the other and it seems trade unionism of character assassination and mudsling is far from over on both ends. It goes without saying that even the mandate of trade unions recruiting non-unionised workers may be derailed.
Worse, the break up comes months ahead of Workers Day on May 1, 2016, which will render its patrons limp and a divided a lot on their special day.
This could give the employer an opportunity to make life difficult for the divided workers.
The secretary general of BOFEPUSU, Tobokani Rari in his endeavour to explain circumstances surrounding the split and the recent media war lists a plethora of issues.
“There are audit issues, BOFEPUSU sympathising with the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), BOFEPUSU failing to honour meetings where BOPEU is,” said Rari mentioning just a few of the issues.
“If you take stock, we have been restraining ourselves from responding to some of the media reports where BOPEU had attacked us. We could not discuss issues of affiliates in the press,” he said.
To him, things took a new twist after BOPEU disaffiliated.
“Look, BOPEU bought large chunks of space in the newspapers hitting at us. We thought it was not proper for trade unions to differ openly, especially in the media,” he said.
He added that initially they did not respond deliberately to the BOPEU attacks. “But last December we addressed a press conference to explain our position why BOPEU had left BOFEPUSU. Unfortunately they bought more chunks of space explaining themselves why they left.”
Rari claimed that when they realised that some media houses were deliberately distorting things they also bought their chunks of newspaper space to explain themselves.
“We feel that our relationship with BOPEU has soured.
But, I don’t think even when we have differences we should go to that level of attacking each other,” said Rari further suggesting that in pursuing the agenda of the workers, they should find a common ground on certain issues.
On BOFEPUSU, Rari said the whole saga is water under the bridge. “We are not going to visit it again. Our target is to talk to BOPEU so that we discuss issues of the Bargaining Council as we still have a joint working arrangement to be admitted to the Bargaining Council.”
He said BOPEU may have disaffiliated from BOFEPUSU, but they are members of the joint arrangement that entitles them to sit at the Bargaining Council for the purposes of their members being verified by the employer.
BOPEU president, Andrew Motsamai is not sure there has been any attempt for both parties to talk.
“As far as I can remember, there is no offer to bring us to the table as my understanding is that talking requires bringing people to the table,” Motsamai said, adding that a lot of people let matters go on and on.
He acknowledged that there is no platform for dialogue between them and BOFEPUSU.
He insisted that he does not attack his former ‘comrades’, rather they attacked him.
His take is that once people associate a problem with a person then it becomes problematic.
Just like Rari, Motsamai said his union kept quiet for sometime watching BOFEPUSU holding press conferences and talking issues that disparaged them as a union to the public through the media.
“Before the 2014 general elections, BOPEU was forced to explain its position on whether BOFEPUSU sympathises with the UDC or not, as there is no resolution to that effect,” he said, pointing out that this was one issue that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
He only remembers one article BOPEU wrote explaining why they left BOFEPUSU and the rest, he said they were responding to vitriolic attacks in the media from BOFEPUSU.
He acknowledged that it is an expensive undertaking to flight advertorials in the newspapers, but insisted that some of the positions could not be left unchallenged.
Motsamai holds the notion that trade union leaders should be elected on the basis of their abilities and not their party affiliations.
“That BOPEU disagreed over the issue of supporting the UDC then it should not be seen as betrayers of the struggle,” he said.
Motsamai said pressure has been removed from government and is now on BOPEU.
His worry is that the employer is now doing as it wishes and BOPEU has now become the enemy of the workers, at least to some people.
“I am not to blame. I happen to be an influential leader within BOPEU and that’s all,” he said, adding that if the people have elected him, other trade unions have to respect that.
He insists that he is not averse to dialogue.