Unions register complaint with labour office

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Thursday September 23, 2010 00:00

The dispute was set for this Friday before private mediator, Sam Leero.

According to TAWU's secretary general, Edward Tswaipe, they did not agree with the other parties on points of law and requested that the issue be taken before the courts.

He said that they did not agree with the amendment on the voting and the threshold that requires unions to be allowed to sit in the council as according to the number of members.

'The council cannot set a threshold and they are refusing to have the issue solved by the courts of law,' Tswaipe said.

He revealed that the other unions - Botswana Teachers Union (BTU), National Amalgamated Local and Central Government and Para-statal Workers Union (NALCGPWU), Botswana Land Boards and Local Authorities Workers Union (BLLAWU), Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU) and Botswana Secondary Teachers Union (BOSETU) - had a secret meeting on Saturday with the employee to agree on the constitution.

He said on Monday TAWU and BOGOWU were surprised when the six parties agreed to sign the constitution even though the two were not in agreement.

However, President of BOPEU, Andrew Motsamai, confirmed that an agreement was reached with the employer and the constitution was signed.

'The next step will be to register it at the Commissioner of Labour but we will have to seat and discuss the modalities that would lead us to that,' he said, adding that TAWU and BOGOWU did not sign as they were not happy with the decision but the majority prevailed. Efforts to reach the director of DPSM were futile.