Soldiers need salary increase

Richard Moleofe | Friday April 7, 2017 17:07

Some of the issues I discuss about the BDF do generally apply to all the armed forces including the Botswana Police Service, Prisons and Rehabilitation Service and the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Service (DISS).

I have elected to address the universal issue of salaries. Even though I will be making much reference on the BDF, the truth of the matter applies to all other services in exclusion of the DISS. The latter has a separate pay structure that surpasses that of many parastatals at home and abroad. Last year, Government announced a three percent increase in the salaries of all non-unionised members of the civil service. A majority of these are found in the four law enforcement establishments listed above. Just last week, Carter Morupisi unilaterally announced a four percent pay increase that was going to all these services. The announcement has had a very short lifespan because the Industrial Court annulled all that on Tuesday.

We all know that the law of the land does not allow them to join labour Unions because of the speciality of their work. The security of our country rests on these establishments, hence that must be reflected in their pay structures.

The Court has reversed the announced salary increase and further to that, the beneficiaries are required to return the benefit back into the Government coffers.

The judgement has actually tossed the Government’s divide and rule plan out of balance.

The sad reality is that members of the armed forces can only watch the drama and have no say in either the negotiations or the Court proceedings. I am vehemently against the formation of Unions for security services while at the same time I am pro-labour. I believe workers must benefit from the fruits of their labour.

However, labour Unions can hold the Government or the employer at ransom as has been the case in 2011 and earlier. The country will actually be turned upside down if the police, prison warders and soldiers decide to down tools just for a week.

As we may be aware, armed services in South Africa have formed labour Unions that negotiate their pay rise. I think this is a serious anomaly. The police have POPCRU, which is the toughest of all armed services Unions.

As far as I am concerned, there is no need for security forces to form labour Unions as I have already mentioned. It is their superiors that are supposed to act on their behalf and raise dust for issues of their remuneration. I have in the past raised issues of pay for soldiers (and that includes the prison warders and the police) in this same space.

The past BDF Commander sought audience with me and asked me to withhold my views on issues of remuneration because I may pre-empt certain of the issues he had raised with the Defence Council on the matter.

At the moment, I am not restrained by anything because it has taken too long to address the issues of remuneration with soldiers. Soldiers are also human and they are equally feeling the frustration regarding the issues surrounding salary increase.

The only best thing that soldiers can do to protest their wages is not to look up to Johnson Motshwarakgole of BOFEPUSU labour movement, but to vote with their feet. And a lot of them have been leaving.

I am also against the idea of soldiers leaving the service in high numbers because they are leaving the country vulnerable and open to security penetration.

BDF units which suffer most as a result of the exodus are at pains when it comes to taking up deployments. The BDF has now come of age and further departures happen as a consequence of nature as the old have to retire.

However, a lot of our soldiers leave too early before the mandatory age of retirement which is 55 years.

The Government needs to set up a commission of enquiry on salaries and allowances of all armed forces. In the past, people have asked why the BDF and other forces seem to be treated in a special way.

The answer lies in the nature of their jobs. They are the only sector of the public service that is mandated to work 24 hours a day. They can be called at any short notice, and often this will put them in harm’s way.

A lot of our young people are driven into taking up jobs with security services of our land and for a majority of them they don’t end up turning this into a long-term career. Once they are within the system, they get a shock as they come to realise the demands of their new calling. It is indeed true that joining the armed forces can now be regarded as a calling because there is absolutely no money in it.

I have elected to discuss the issue of remuneration with absolutely no malevolence on the new BDF Commander. He is a humble man that I regard highly and have no iota of doubt in his leadership skills. I am driven by the prevailing circumstances to raise my opinion on the issue of salaries.

This is something that is in the public domain and has formed my opinion in the way it is playing itself out.

Soldiers are more hopeful in Motshwarakgole’s actions than in their own leadership. That is a serious anomaly because every commander must place the welfare of their men and women ahead of any mission they have to accomplish.

Over the years, all the freebies that were ascribed to soldiers have been eroded of taken away. They are supposed to be enjoying free accommodation and the fact that they share houses has caused a mountain of problems.

While the BDF is celebrating 44 years of its existence, they must also be showcasing state of the art welfare for their soldiers.