Trade unions must find resolve to PSBC
Correspondent | Tuesday May 3, 2016 15:18
This judgement is very important as it brings the matter back to where the workers and the general public have been asking that it be taken to; to basic mediation through the commissioner of labour as chairperson of the whole process.
The courts do not hold keys to this matter. The keys to this matter have long been in the possession of amicable dialogue through mutual respect. It was unfortunate that this matter found its way to the courts of law. This case highlights significant importance of the unity of workers.
We don’t want to find ourselves pinching our whole bodies when we ultimately come to the realization that the recognition of our trade unionism at the PSBC is merely a sectoral presence.
But if we are going to just be here and numb, hoping that our problem will go away, then it is here to stay. The Industrial Court had initially ruled that only Manual Workers Union, as per the constitution of the PSBC qualifies entry into the membership of the PSBC.
It is the constitution of the PSBC that dictates that only individual trade unions, which have not less than 27000 members can be admitted as members of the PSBC to represent public employees. Comrades, this is the matter that our trade union leaders must address.
Comrades, we need to face the reality that Manual Workers Union does not represent most of us. It is a support staff union, it is for those doing manual work. If we fail to settle out of court as the courts of law have rightfully advised and as we have always wanted, we will be at the mercy of only the Manual Workers Union to represents us at the PSBC. Painful as it is to say, the Industrial Court President had initially ruled that the BOPEU’s assertion that only Manual Workers Union qualifies to be admitted as a member of the PSBC is true and without an aorta of doubt.
The constitution of PSBC posits that for admission into membership entry, each individual union, and not BOFEPUSU the collective, should meet a minimum threshold of 27,000. At the time of the judgement it was only Manual Workers Union qualifying.
BOPEU was coming second and the rest of the individual trade unions such as that of BOSETU, BAGOWU, BTU, BALLAHWU, and BONU etc. trailing way below the constitutional threshold.
It is this unreasonably high threshold that is dividing the workers. Comrades must appreciate that we have tried every trick in the book to try and hide the truth from the public and presented that this matter was not legal but of two former comrades battling it out for space.
But even we at BOFEPUSU find ourselves with an egg in the eye that we need to handle this matter out of court rooms. We must find solace in the fact that the court gave us an opportunity to sort ourselves out, in the interest of non-trade union leaders like me; mere members on the basis of being a worker. We can’t afford to be going around circles when we know what the problem is.
Comrades, we need the money and we need PSBC to sit and resolve the wage impasse. Inflation is hitting us hard and for a change the Government seems willing to negotiate and instead of us using the opportunity, we have been muscling each other out of the PSBC. BOFEPUSU, must become the bigger union that it is and stop competing for space with individual trade unions.
And we of the minority trade unions due to numbers must wake up and not allow Manual Workers Union to derail this process. This will mean that the teachers, will be represented by their drivers and messengers at the PSBC.
Karabo Ramogotsi kramogotsi@yahoo.com Tlokweng