BDP charms BOFEPUSU
Innocent Selatlhwa | Friday September 29, 2017 18:00
For the first time since 2015, the BDP labour committee led by minister Edwin Batshu on Wednesday paid a courtesy call on BOFEPUSU to establish a cordial relationship that could see the labour federation warming up to the ruling party.
“We were very delighted to meet the newly-elected committee. It had always been a struggle to raise issues with the BDP, but the current labour committee seems determined to ensure that we are heard and we are giving them benefit of the doubt,” BOFEPUSU secretary general, Tobokani Rari said.
Rari reiterated that as BOFEPUSU, they are not permanently aligned with the UDC and if the BDP offers workers better, then they would rally behind the party.
“This is just the beginning. We believe the BDP is behind all the draconian labour laws as the ministers belong to the ruling party. They have a lot of work to do for us to rally behind them. They will have to reverse laws which are against workers' freedom of expression like the Trade Dispute Act (TDA). They also have to recall the new Public Service Act (PSA) as they have powers to do so,” he said. Rari said even though they align with the UDC, they are not happy with the amount of energy the party is putting in labour related issues. “We aligned with them towards 2014 looking at their manifesto and solutions they provided for workers. However, we have not been satisfied with their work in fighting for us in Parliament.
They are yet to establish a permanent labour committee as we requested them to do. Their contributions have not been robust. We want them to have a committee to engage us and take our issues to Parliament to show that they are worth our backing,” he said. The recently elected ruling party secretary general, Mpho Balopi said during a press briefing that the BDP was mapping out a strategy to mend relations with the trade unions.
The new labour sub-committee is made up of high profile government figures, which part of its mandate will be to mend the party and government’s severed relations with the unions.
Ministers ,Tshenolo Mabeo and Eric Molale are also part of the sub-committee. Balopi said this shows that the BDP was serious about improving labour relations with stakeholders. He added that they were hopeful their efforts will lead BOFEPUSU to change its mind from rallying behind the opposition and support them looking at their achievements.
How to capture BOFEPUSU
The federation has on many occasions come out to condemn government for being vindictive and hostile to the unions subsequent to the 2011 public sector strike.
The federation has said the only way for the BDP to win its heart will be for it to instruct its ministers to repeal draconian labour laws.
In 2011, BOFEPUSU led a massive industrial strike, the biggest of its kind in the history of the country, which lasted for more than three months. The workers downed tools demanding a 16% pay rise and a protection of their labour rights.
Many lost their jobs in the process while others went for months without pay. The strike also led to a drafting of new labour laws, which the unions said were meant to take away the striking right of the workers.
The federation lamented that ever since the 2011 strike, government does not want to share a table with BOFEPUSU to negotiate conditions of service for workers hence sidestepping the Public Service Bargaining Council to solely increase salaries and alter workers' conditions of service. BOFEPUSU had to succumb and ask that their members be granted three and four percent increments that had been awarded non-BOFEPUSU members over the past two years.
The government was accused of having violated two core conventions being; Conventions 87 and 98 and having acted contrary to the International Labour Organisation frame work definition of essential service as they, the ILO have advised through the Committee of Application of Standards (CAS). Convention 87, provides as thus; “Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise while Convention 98, provides as thus; The Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining”.
According to BOFEPUSU, these gross violations started when the government in 2012, reacting to the consequences of the 2011 industrial action, decided to angrily amend the essential service schedule that was part of the then TDA to include, amongst others, the teaching service, veterinary services, air traffic controllers information and broadcasting etc, in actual fact, about 80% of the workers in Botswana, into the essential service bracket.
On another burning issue, BOFEPUSU raised concerns about the powers the Public Service Bill gives the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration to interfere on labour issues. BOFEPUSU wants the amendment repealed if the BDP are to be in their good books, as they believe they are responsible for the laws.