No allowances for BCA lecturers
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Friday February 26, 2016 17:09
Last April, the governing council of the then BCA resolved to increase allowances of the academic staff at the college by 35 percent so that they would be at par with those at the University of Botswana. However, the academic staff are yet to receive their payment.
The unpaid allowances have been at the centre of a standoff between the university governing council and the academic staff since it was announced last year, forcing the latter to delay releasing end of year semester results last December.
The Minister of Agriculture, Patrick Ralotsia told Parliament this week that the payment of allowances would not be executed because the governing council erred in effecting the allowance increment.
He said that government solely owns BCA, as such any decision that requires funding for it should first be recommended to the sole shareholder for review and decision-making.
“This is because the university and many other parastals are financially supported from the budget that requires processing through the established budget approvals,” he said. “Unfortunately the governing council did not follow the process in deciding on the 35 percent allowance increases, therefore the matter remains under review and consideration.”
Ralotsia, who is also a Member of Parliament for Kanye North, indicated that the governing council resolved to increase allowances without due consideration as to whether the finances were available to execute the resolution.
He said that the resolution cannot be performed because due diligence had not been done. He, however, said that the matter is under discussion.
The governing council, he said, does not have powers to make such resolutions, but can only make recommendations to the Ministry of Agriculture to execute payment of allowances.
“You can only pay with the money that you have and the governing council did not satisfy itself that there was money for paying or for executing its resolution and the ministry cannot execute the resolution of the council,” he said. The minister added that he had addressed both parties on the matter and they had understood the ministry’s position.
He advised the academic staff to refrain from engaging in a strike over the matter. “And if I am to advice, well I do not belong to the association that believes in strikes, and I would therefore accordingly advise them not to.” Ralotsia was responding to a question asked by Member of Parliament for Gaborone North, Haskins Nkaigwa who had sought to know whether the minister is aware the BCA staff had still not been paid allowances approved by the governing council, the total figure to be paid and when they would be paid.
Nkaigwa had also asked the minister to explain why the situation was allowed to go on for this long, especially when the ministry knew that BCA was going to cease existence. He also, through supplementary questions, asked if the minister wanted the staff to strike first before getting paid.