BOFEPUSU pays tribute to Mogae
Oarabile Mosikare | Tuesday January 24, 2017 16:30
Addressing a press conference yesterday BOFEPUSU secretary general Tobokani Rari said in 1997 the government under the regime of Mogae ratified some International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions that support the existence of trade Unions and the right to trade Unions to bargain. These are Convention on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, Convention on Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining and Convention on Labour Relations in the Public Sector.
“Government back then, moved further to domesticate the ratified conventions to operationalise them. This was done by enacting appropriate legislation and amending others to accommodate the thriving of the ratified conventions,” Rari said. Such legislations included amongst others, the Trade Unions and Employers Organisation Act, the Trade Dispute Act and the Public Service Act.
The trade unionist said it is now evident that the present regime under President Ian Khama is hell bent on reversing the gains that have been achieved, either by amending the stated pieces of legislation targeting the very progressive clauses that support the ratified conventions. He said such amendments and some other actions by government intend to totally annihilate the trade union movement.
“After the 2011 industrial action, Government in 2012 moved vigorously to take away the Union’s deduction codes. The taking away of the codes for trade Unions, is tantamount to switching of their lifeblood, an attack on Convention 87. Government is continuously purging trade Union leader. The Secretary General of the Botswana Land Boards, Local Authorities and Health Workers’ Union (BLLAHWU), Ketlhalefile Motshegwawas dismissed from the public service after being targeted for being a Union leader. The president of BOFEPUSU, Johannes Tshukudu was unlawfully transferred to the Ministry, outside the scope of organisation of his trade Union to make him ineligible for the presidency of Botswana Teachers’ Union (BTU) and by extension, disqualifying him from being BOFEPUSU president. He added that the amendment of the Public Sector Bargaining Council (PSBC) to make the Secretariat of the council to be chosen by a Minister, hence making it an extension of the Government arm, is a violation of some ILO conventions.
Another speaker, the publicity secretary of the BOFEPUSU, Mogomotsi Motshegwa disclosed that there would be a commemoration of the 2011 industrial action later this year. “Workers view April 11,2011 as a very important day. Workers undertook a massive strike and the industrial action demonstrated maturity of the workers Unions in Botswana. Dome pundits doubted that the strike won’t last, but it lasted for more than a month. We will pay homage to those who lost their jobs. We want to honour those who are still moving forward with the workers’ struggle today,” Motshegwa said.
He said during the commemoration, of the 2011 strike, they would petition the Government and hold a symposium and call all stakeholders to review labour relations in Botswana. BOFEPUSU would also hold peaceful demonstrations across the country. From April, they would commemorate the May Day in style. “We will send a strong message to workers and Batswana in general about the state of labour relations in Botswana. The international commemorations of May Day would also be used to remember those who lost their jobs at BCL Mine and its subsidiaries and other companies. WE want to also recognise and pay homage to the children of these mine workers. Lastly, he said they intended to address Ntlo Ya Dikgosi as well as churches and civil society about their travails .