Overtime restriction: BOSETU to rebel
Oarabile Mosikare | Tuesday November 8, 2016 17:48
“I have received several enquiries regarding payment of overtime and I wish to further clarify the issue regarding the 10% payment of overtime. Please note that accounting officers are to assess each case on its merit and where it is not practical to reduce the amount of overtime worked, officers may be paid overtime in excess of 10% of their salaries.
“Accounting officers should, however exercise strict control to ensure that the overall overtime expenditure does not exceed 10% of personal emoluments,” explained the permanent secretary to the President (PSP) Carter Morupisi to accounting officers on October 31, 2016.
These cost-cutting measures have rubbed the BOSETU the wrong way. As a way forward, BOSETU says it will advise its members to cease to be engaged after hours or work overtime in response to this unilateral draconian moratorium which overrides the Employment Act. BOSETU secretary general, Tobokani Rari said the repercussions will be felt on the final year results.
“Our view is that this circular savingram borders on an illegality in that issues of overtime are regulated by an Act of Parliament which is the Employment Act and as such we hold that no one, including the PSP, has the right to put further restrictions on what Parliament has regulated. We put it to the PSP and all other proponents of this 10% regulation of overtime to come out clear and avail the authority upon which they derive such a moratorium that in our view infringes on an act of Parliament,” Rari said. He cautioned that they also foresee chaos that will be caused by the savingram, if teachers were to stick to the moratorium that they should not accrue any overtime pay that will be in access of 10%. “A lot of work will suffer… This definitely would mean that for teachers they would, on average in a month, work overtime in only two days, which would leave a great deal of work suffering.”
Rari said these uninformed blind decisions would come to be felt when the final exams come out. “The result is that teachers will cease to carry out official duties after hours. Supervision of course work projects, remedial lessons, enrichment activities, sporting activities will bear the brunt and will be greatly affected.”