Love running cold between BOPEU and BFTU
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Friday October 13, 2017 12:47
It is said that BOPEU has cut its monthly grant to the federation following the departure of former union president and executive chairman of Babereki Investment Andrew Motsamai. Motsamai was fired by the board last month following allegations of maladministration at the investment company.
Mmegi has leant that the decision with ‘monthly grant’, which was taken during Motsamai’s tenure as the president of the BOPEU. The decision to terminate it has affected day-to-day operations at the federation’s office.
It is said that the federation has on occasions failed to make representation at the tripartite meetings between government, the employer party and the labour movements because they could not afford travel and accommodation expenses for their delegates. Furthermore, it is alleged that the federation has also struggled to pay salaries to its few workers.
“Ever since Motsamai left, BOPEU has continued to do away with some of the things which were done during his tenure which were affecting their coffers. They have stopped the financial support to BFTU, which has severely affected the federation. They (BFTU) are unable to do some of the things, which include day to day running of the federation,” said the source. Both parties have, have denied the allegations that the monthly support has been stopped.
BOPEU president Masego Mogwera said the monthly assistance to BFTU still exists.
Mogwera said the union has kept its part of the agreement and has not defaulted. She stated that the union is giving BFTU one Pula per BOPEU member monthly. “As per our MoU with them, we had a resolution taken through the National Executive Committee to give them one Pula per member of BOPEU. We have been paying that on regular basis.
“We have not defaulted. The decision was not taken at Babereki Investment but at BOPEU. It was made after Motsamai left for Babereki Investments when we signed the MoU. The decision to stop the financial support cannot be taken by a single person,” Mogwera said.
She said any decision regarding the resolution would have to be taken at the Union’s next congress. Infact, she insisted a decision to stop BFTU support or not could linked to Motsamai’s departure. BFTU general secretary Gadzani Mhotsha was evasive in his response to Mmegi enquiry.
He said he was not aware of the allegations and asked the reporter to seek information from his informant. “Its an internal matter, very confidential. I cannot discuss internal matters with the media. Its common cause that organisations are struggling financially, even the country and your organisation,” he said.
BOPEU and BFTU has been bosom buddies since the former left the Botswana Federation of Public, Private Parastatals Sectors Union (BOFEPUSU) in 2014. After the fallout with BOFEPUSU, the BOPE and BFTU had attended international labour conferences together as a team. BFTU even invited BOPEU to attend a regional conference in Ethiopia and both parties visited Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) “to learn about the running of a paralegal system”.
The two also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on February 22, 2017 to work together in the fight for workers’ rights.