UB professor cautions members against selfish union leaders
Onalenna Kelebeile | Friday December 8, 2017 18:56
Speaking during the Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU) Central Executive Committee meeting recently, Jotia said this is necessary to ensure that leaders are not there for selfish interests at the expense of workers who are entrenched in poverty. He also said trade unions must be rigorously involved in the democratic process so that they could help the state reshape its policies such that they do not disadvantage the working class.
He said this could only be possible if the character of union leaders is re-examined. Jotia expressed concern that the privatisation and capitalisation of trade unions is a worrisome trend, as it appears that the focus is now on amassing wealth rather than channeling energies towards challenging the arsenals of economic justice. He added that nations do not lack people in leadership positions but lack genuine leadership in their leaders.
Jotia explained that in this era of neo-liberalism, the processes of policy and governance become dispersed and less transparent, which creates a democratic deficit as political spaces, begin to be softly governed by persuasion by those who are economically powerful.
“In this case it becomes an open secret that trade unions should occupy this political space to protect the rights and welfare of the working class. I am talking about leaders who are willing to compromise all they have and deny themselves their freedoms to win the war of advocacy for the masses not mere fictional puppets or stooges of the states. We need strong and vibrant leaders who can stand for justice without fear,” he said.
He emphasised that this era needs informed and brave unions that can face the state and advance issues of workers liberation.
He said he was therefore not very impressed with the day’s theme, ‘Building workers power through lobbying and advocacy for second generation of human rights’, as he is worried by the conflicts that continue to consume the labour movement in Botswana.
Jotia said the privatisation of public functions or social services, including the selling of the inefficient state-owned companies and corruption, calls for a strong voice from the organised labour movement to defend the rights of the working class.
“In order for workers to win their struggle against the state they have to collectively galvanise their power to make meaningful lobbying and robust advocacy. Introspect as a trade union and interrogate the feasibility of lobbying radically for workers rights with fragmented voices in our political discourse,” he advised.
The professor added that without unity workers power will always be subjugated by the state and will continue to lose many battles like the opposition parties. He said the labour movement must take advantage of their numbers and resources to collectively demand their rights from the employer in one voice. He observed that the union movement continues to be weakened by divisions triggered by ideological differences some based on political party affiliations or just pettiness.
Jotia said as BOPEU continues with its advocacy for second-generation human rights they must understand that their victory lies within the spirit of unity and solidarity.
“Trade unions in Botswana behave like opposition parties where politicians hate each other to the degree that they can declare that they cannot sit at a table with another one because of ideological differences. At the same time they opposition say it want to take power. Disintegrated and hating each other yet craving for power means we will have a government of uncompromising haters and the hated,” he said.