Unions want Morupisi, Molale�s heads
Baboki Kayawe | Thursday April 6, 2017 16:23
The call comes in the wake of yet another embarrassing judgement against the government in relation to increment of salaries for civil servants, which the Government announced last week.
Secretary general of the federation, Tobokani Rari said this on the backdrop of the unilateral decision by Government to award salary increment to non-unionised public sector employees, and those not admitted at the Public Service Bargaining Council (PSBC); a decision the High Court nullified Tuesday.
“A sad reality of our times under this current Government, that a certain known individual Government bureaucrats and known Cabinet Ministers, could be allowed to make such telling blunders that costs government not only money, but that subject government to such denting humiliating embarrassment, and still be allowed to continue to hold office without being required to resign or be sacked,” Rari said.
He wondered how a situation where twice in a row, Government is forced by the courts to reverse an increment on the basis of the same mistake, that of sidelining the bargaining process in altering conditions of service of workers could be explained.
“Government was restrained in the case of a three percent last year, and once again government is being restrained in the case of a four percent,” he added.
“What is even more denting and extremely embarrassing, which reduces Government to a circus is the fact that with yesterday’s Court decision, Government has been told that last year’s three per cent salary increment to non-unionised employees and those who were not admitted into the PSBC then, was unlawful and as such it should be stopped forthwith and those employees who got the three per cent should pay back,” he said.
Further, Rari noted that this “dashes and dampens the little hope and moral that was left in the public service”. He said the Botswana Democratic Party cannot allow this to go uncommented and unpunished.“We would like to hear the voice all Batswana on this issue including the civil society. These public service which some individuals toy around with are drivers of the country’s development and service providers to the nation,” the unionist said.
He said BOFEPUSU has it in good authority that Government was advised by private legal brains prior to the four percent adjustment and defied such advices only because “they are pushing some agenda with some unions”.
“The fact that in today’s case, Government was represented by private attorneys tells a story,” he scoffed. “That’s why we feel that the permanent secretary to the president (Morupisi), and Minister of Presidential Affairs (Molale) should resign forthwith or be sacked for horrendous blunders.” The Government is yet to respond to the Tuesday High Court ruling.