Contempt of court case on today
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Friday April 28, 2017 15:21
On Monday, BOFEPUSU applied to the High Court, on urgent basis, for imprisonment of Morupisi and Maphorisa for defying a Court order handed down by Motswagole a fortnight ago.
The Judge had interdicted Government from continuing to pay salaries of public officers inclusive of three and four percent salary adjustment for the financial years 2016/17 and 2017/18 respectively. Government and Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU) have since applied to the Court of Appeal for stay of execution.
However, Government went ahead to pay salaries of public officers inclusive of three and four percent salary adjustment for the financial years 2016/17 and 2017/18 respectively.
In the Court papers filed Monday afternoon, BOFEPUSU says that the first and second respondents’ conduct in this matter is compounded by the fact that the two are high-ranking public officials who are duty bound to protect and uphold the law.
The Union further argues that the Court order interdicted and restrained the two from taking any steps in furtherance of payments of public officers that are inclusive of the increments that the Court set aside.
“The payments have now left a disparity between unionised and non-unionised public officers at 10% for the employees doing the same job,” reads the Court papers.
The Union, through their attorney, Mboki Chilisa also said that the disparity cannot be left to continue due to the impact it has on the applicant, who are currently losing members.
It further argues that the first and second respondents deliberately failed to comply with the Court order.