BTU finally quits BFTU

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Tuesday August 24, 2010 00:00

 

In an interview after the extraordinary congress held in Mahalapye over the weekend, the BTU publicist secretary, Tidimalo Maeletso, said that in a vote, 98 percent of the congress voted in the affirmative.

'The same number agreed that we affiliate with the new federation,' he said. 'Our secretary general is expected to start writing the letters informing BFTU of our intention to terminate affiliation and we will follow the termination process from here on,' he added.

In an earlier interview, Maeletso said that they have on numerous occasions requested a meeting with the BFTU leadership to clear some of the problematic issues but the latter did not turn up.

Maeletso revealed that they complained about the issue of equal representation, even though there were the largest subscribers. 'As BTU, we believe that much as our subscription is very high we could not be placed at the same level during decision-making with those with very low subscriptions. We wanted it to be proportional with what we contribute,' Maeletso explained.

He further stated that being in the BFTU would not bring them the numbers to get into the bargaining council as requested by the new Public Service Act, which requires a union to have members constituting one third of the employees of the employer to be part of the council.

'With them we were going to be closed out but with BOFEPUSU they would have the numbers they need from other civil service unions,' he said revealing that Botswana Secondary Teachers Union, Botswana Manual Workers Union, Botswana Land Board and Local Authorities Workers Union would be part of BOFEPUSO.

'They are all representing the civil servants, our issues are almost the same and we have one employer. It will be easy to speak with one voice there,' he said.

On what would happen to the debt-ridden BFTU, Maeletso explained that 'BFTU will answer for their problems and if they have any issues they will call us if they have valid reasons of how and why we should help them. 'But if we have terminated our membership we will be done with them and we will have nothing to do with whatever consequences that might befall them'.