Public service unions in 'mother of all strikes' threat

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Friday September 3, 2010 00:00

 

The affiliates of the Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) said yesterday that they have already dispatched about 30 union leaders all over the country to seek a mandate from members on the way forward.

Speaking to Mmegi yesterday, Andrew Motsamai, the president of the Botswana Public Service Union (BOPEU) said that after a deadlock on the constitution of the bargaining council on Monday, they wrote to the director of the Directorate of the Public Service Management (DPSM) that a third party should arbitrate as per the International Labour Organisation rules.

He said they told the director that if there no arbitrator by Monday next week, then the unions will declare a dispute and start the legal process that will lead to a strike.

'We will be striking for the terms and conditions of our work to be in line with the new Act. 

For instance, right now teachers do not know their working hours despite the fact that a government employee should work for eight hours a day,' he said.  He said the bone of contention is the admission of trade unions to the bargaining council.

'Others believe that they have an automatic right to sit in the council while on the other hand, the Act states that there should be a thresh-hold of admission. We cannot have many unions there because if there are many unions, we might have to use a stadium for our meetings. We are just guarding against mushrooming of unions in the country,' he said.

He added that the strike is meant to force the employer to agree with the unions for the council to move forward and start bargaining for the employees' welfare. 

'Our intention is to have a nation-wide strike with consequences that will be more severe than any other organised anywhere in Africa,' said Pelotshweu Baeng of the Botswana Land Board and Local Authorities (BLLAWU).