BOFEPUSU declares war on politicians

BAME PIET
Staff Writer | Thursday June 20, 2013 00:00

 

They vowed that the organisation will never shy away from dabbling in politics and said they are on the offensive because politicians have declared war on workers.  The organising secretary for Manual Workers Union, Johnson Motshwarakgole said on Tuesday evening that there was no way the workers could keep a distance from politics since the two are inseparable. He said that it was the politicians who fired workers after the 2011 public sector strike, and therefore, workers should also fire them. 'Politicians fired people from their jobs, and now we want to fire them from their jobs - no secret about it,' he said in response to a question on the participation of workers in political activities.

The BOFEPUSU leadership has protested government's reduction of representation of civil servants in the Medical Aid Board from 50-50 to 70-20 percent. The leaders said this is a clear sign that the government is waging a war on unions hence they (unions) would not sit back and do nothing. 'We will fight the politicians to the end,' they said.

Motshwarakgole and other BOFEPUSU leaders were addressing journalists on the recent ILO conference in Geneva Switzerland and government's intention to de-register the union. He said that whether registered or not, BOFEPUSU will continue to attend ILO conferences and tell the world the atrocities inflicted on workers by the government of Botswana.  BOFEPUSU is organising a countrywide demonstration next Thursday to protest against government's failure to provide basic amenities such as electricity, water and infrastructure. The demonstrations will condemn corruption at the Botswana Development Corporation (BDC), Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) and Morupule B Power Station where P1 billion is reported missing.

'It is the duty of government to provide these basic services, and if it fails to do so, it is a breach of contract between the government and the electorate. It is unfortunate that it seems the nation thinks that things should be done the way they are being done,' said BOFEPUSU deputy secretary general, Ketlhalefile Motshegwa. He said that everybody should hold the government accountable for its actions and failures.