Labour officers accuse OP of interference

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Tuesday April 20, 2010 00:00

At a meeting convened by the Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Peter Siele at the Mass Media Complex in Gaborone last Friday, labour officers complained that though there are clear chains of command at the Department of Labour and Social Security and the whole ministry there is outside interference, especially from the executive.

'We are experiencing a lot of challenges especially when you mediate in companies which are owned by ministers and MPs. When you call them for mediation they become very difficult.  Re tabogetse ruri, le go kgopiwa re ta kgopiwa (We are always running around scared). Most often we get a lot of unwarranted instructions from Office of the President, ministers and even councillors ordering us on how to mediate in cases. This is wrong and should come to an end. If anything, they should route advice that are reasonable in nature and within the legal framework through the right channels. We do this job through the Trade Dispute Act, which has an outline of procedures and rules which are quite clear,' said one of the officers.As the officer continued to list the complaints, Siele interjected and asked if 'it is a fact that you receive instructions from OP (Office of the President)?' to which a sizeable number of those in the meeting assented. 'Some even walk into our offices,' an officer said. 

The officer lamented that they have become a punching bag for many powerful people in government. Another officer said that politicians, especially legislators should know that 'they don't have to tell us to help people as we know it is our duty to do so. If it's someone they know, they would even threaten to call the minister and report you, but I expect everyone to queue and get services just like all the clients'. In his response to the complaints, Siele said he will get in touch with the OP to follow-up on the issue of interference. He said that he knows that 'when the President (Ian Khama) has an issue or something to say about something in our ministry, he calls me directly. If some minister or MP has done that (interfered with labour officers' work) I will take up the matter with them. I want to go on record and tell you that if you know that I have a shop, you should feel free to go and inspect it. The minimum wage I pay my workers working at my lands is P600'.

One of the officers who refused to reveal the names of the people who harass them in their duties said that: 'We are talking about real powerful people here and I am afraid they might even be aware now that I am talking to you. So I cannot continue this conversation with you sir'.

Meanwhile President Ian Khama's spokesman, Sipho Madisa has denied that Khama can engage in such unprofessional behaviour of interfering in the work of labour officers. 'The President cannot just pick a phone and call an officer and order him or her to do anything. If there is an issue he wants to discuss, he would talk to the minister,' he said.