Remembering the historic 2011 strike
Friday, April 29, 2016
Power in the people: Workers during the 2011 strike
On April 19, 2011 the second day of the strike I joined three union leaders who were assigned the duty of assessing the effect of the strike in the Central and North East District. I got a lift from Botswana Land Boards Local Authorities and Health Workers Union (BLLAWHU) secretary general Ketlhalefile Motshegwa.
On this mission he was accompanied by Botswana Public Employees Union national organising and international relations secretary, Pambana Masame and National Amalgamated Local and Central Government and Parastatal Manual Workers’ Union (NALCGPMWU) deputy chairperson, the late Sammy Sithole [May his revolutionary soul rest in peace].
While the minister is of the view that the proposal would have significant positive economic impact, the entertainment industry players believe otherwise. The issue has over the weeks become a hot potato. But what is of essence right now is that the country needs liberal ideas to move in the right direction While opening up the economy may sound quite interesting to the ear, rolling out extended trading hours through pilot programmes without...