Saleshando�s anti-unity �scars� a lesson to BOPEU

Onalenna Kelebeile | Friday December 8, 2017 17:30

 

Giving a solidarity message during a congress that ended on Wednesday, Saleshando said he carries the scars of not allowing unity of opposition to run its course in the past. “There is strength in unity. My position had always been resolute but now I have learnt, I carry the scars and now I can authoritatively tell you that never deny an opportunity for unity to run its course,” he said.

Saleshando said there are many challenges within the opposition on the issue of unity, but a significant progress has been made. “I am looking forward for all workers’ movements to sit around the table to present a profound message that no injustice is meted out to any worker because of divisions within the labour movements.

That day is very close,” he said. He added that for the 10 years that BOPEU existed, there has been a significant progress in the level of cautiousness on labour issues and that must be celebrated. He said it is an assurance against abuse of workers’ rights. Saleshando, who is also the president of Botswana Congress Party (BCP), said 2017 has been a bad year, as the country still has a government that actively makes it difficult to bargain.

“That is a sign that we are regressing as a country. These setbacks are not accidental but making all workers essential is just barbaric,” he said.

He assured BOPEU that in UDC, they have an ally in promoting second-generation human rights. He said this is held back because amongst these rights, unions must pay special attention to the right to work so that they can realise that it is offensive for government to export jobs in the midst of soaring unemployment in the country. He explained that jobs are exported if government continues to export raw materials instead of manufacturing finished products locally. “I call upon BOPEU to make this issue a top priority,” he said. 

Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) representative, Kgang Kgang said unions cannot be effective if manipulated by external forces, saying his party shared the union’s stand of remaining politically neutral. He said it is not enough to vote for a new government every five years and leave everything in between to public servants and emphasised the need for active constructive contribution to nation building. Kgang also said the need to revive the bargaining council cannot be underscored and said that also falls on tripartite structure comprising trade unions, the employer and employees.

He further said the ruling party is fully aware of concerns that unions want addressed such as amendment of some legislations, hence they have set up structures in which unions are also represented to try and speed up processes and enhance consultations. “We are happy with the positive strides made so far. The BDP remains committed to engaging the union to improve consultation structures making sure that progress in labour relations is restored,” he said.

Kgang further advised BOPEU that has been in the media for wrong reasons to let such challenges unite them more.

For his part, resident representative of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Botswana (FES) Ulrich Golaszinski said independent unions should never fight each other, but instead show solidarity and respect for each other otherwise they weaken the movement for selfish reasons.

He said there is no acceptable reason for that and said pointing fingers and blaming each other is childish behaviour. “A united labour movement is more powerful than a fragmented one. If there is an opportunity to unite, take it. Cooperation and solidarity amongst independent unions are important but they is nothing compared to a united trade union movement,” he said.

Golaszinski said reasons for the fragmentation of the labour movements in Botswana are well known, but said people want to mend the divisions without acknowledging the reasons. “It is better for the labour movement to split into different organisations than to be artificially united,” he said.

He advised that the smaller the channels for the participation of unions in formulating policies become, the more the feeling of disrespect and exclusion increases and the greater will be the desire to change the whole system by aligning with one party or establishing your own workers party.

He said on the other hand political parties lack working structures and consist of not much more than their headquarters in the capital ad ad-hoc structures during campaigns and elections.

“On the other hand unions are better organised hence temptations for political parties to own a trade union are immense. Everybody needs somebody but instead of building trust everyone wants to capture unions or a party and this confusion creates conflicts and instability and at the end no winner but only losers,” he said.