Matambo rubbishes PSBC
Baboki Kayawe | Thursday February 23, 2017 17:54
Calling the council’s existence “a problem”, he said its activities delayed the entire pay increase process and consequently no progress had been made to date.
“It is a problem. Frankly, if there was no this bargaining council thing (sic) we would have increased salaries by now,” Matambo said, responding to the legislators’ comments on the budget. In response, the Botswana Federation of Public, Private and Parastatal Sectors Unions (BOFEPUSU) president, Johannes Tshukudu dismissed Matambo as “self-serving”, saying the Minister was “unelected”.
“The PSBC is a statute of Parliament and Matambo is party to the establishment of the council. He is a disgrace to attack the PSBC in such a manner. We are not surprised because Matambo has no constituency and he is serving his own interests,” Tshukudu said yesterday. Currently, negotiations between the Union and employer parties who sit in the council have stalled, following a court case by BOFEPUSU on the scope of the PSBC as well as Government’s unilateral move to hike salaries in 2016.
Subsequent to the lawsuit, Government took a decision not to negotiate arguing that there was a pending court case and insisting that it should be withdrawn first before continuing with the 2016/17 salary negotiations. As a result, the employer adjusted the salaries of the civil servants unilaterally on March 30, 2016. The federation wants the court to set aside Government’s decision, which it argues was a breach as it is not a product of the bargaining council process. In addition BOFEPUSU is seeking a clarification from the court on the scope of the PSBC.
Judgement on the matter will be delivered on May 12 at the High Court.