Meeting with DPSM divides unions

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Wednesday February 23, 2011 00:00

 

While the Trainers and Allied Workers Unions (TAWU) and the Botswana Government Employees Union (BOGOWU) are confident that negotiations have started in earnest, five public service unions are still adamant that prospects of success are not good. The talks are being held because the unions have called for a strike to press their demands for a salary hike.

A joint communique from BOGOWU and TAWU said the inaugural meeting held yesterday was productive and satisfactory contrary to the views of five other unions.

BOGOWU and TAWU say that an undertaking was made that they would be working together on the negotiation and would draft the principles or rules of engagement, the purpose of which is to guide the process, thereby safe guarding the interests of both parties.

The principles are expected to be submitted to DPSM by Friday, while the next meeting date will be mutually agreed upon between management and the unions once the rules of engagement have been circulated.  The unions noted that they had submitted, in advance, a preliminary request for information on government financial and policy documents relevant to negotiations.

They said the documents will be part of future substantive negotiations.

But five unions formerly acting under the Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) met on Monday and stated that even after the cooling off period, their positions and that of the DPSM have not changed.

The disgruntled unions are the Botswana Teachers Union (BTU), Botswana Secondary Teachers Union (BOSETU), Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU), Botswana Land Boards, Local Authorities and Health Workers Union (BLLAWHU) and the National Amalgamated, Central and Local Government and Parastatal Workers Union (NACLGPWU).

The five unions want a 2.2 percent salary increment and a 13.8 percent inflation adjustment for the past three years.

Speaking anonymously, one of the union leaders said that after the Monday meeting deadlock, DPSM requested for an adjournment to meet with the unions after consulting tomorrow morning. He said they will map the way forward after the meeting.

The unions threatened to call their members to strike early this month should government not accept their demands for more pay.

Union leaders are currently on a countrywide tour sensitising their members and seeking the mandate to strike.

The strike threat comes after government failed to increase public sector salaries for the third year running.

The last failure is due to the implementation of the new Public Service Act which required the employer to pay the workers for 22 working days instead of 20. The requirement has resulted in costs of about P700 million which were not included in the budget.