The trade union leaders were speaking on the occasion to commemorate Workers’ Day hosted by Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU) and the Botswana Federation of Public Private and Parastatal Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) last weekend. The union leaders also berated President Mokgweetsi Masisi and the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) for failing to deliver on their election campaign promises to the nation. For example, in their 2019 elections Manifesto, Masisi and the BDP stated, “The BDP believes that the days of acrimonious relations with trade unions are behind us. The BDP prioritises good and cordial relations with the trade unions. We view trade unions and employers (including government) as partners in raising Botswana’s competitiveness and productivity levels necessary to create wealth for Batswana.”However, what obtains of the ground and the actions of both the BDP and the government run contrary to the above promises particularly when one considers the relationship between government and the unions including how workers are generally treated by the employers. Mr President, you went on to promise to; ‘’Instill a robust consultative process based on necessary disclosures for informed decisions; Ensure that there is a robust and functioning Bargaining Council; Retraining of workers so that their skills are responsive to their performance requirements; Create a culture of a workforce that strives for excellence and quality output; and increase the minimum wage for workers through consultation; and Ensure that the private sector participates meaningfully in the enhancement of the welfare of their employees through a tripartite arrangement’’. We are however disappointed to learn that there is no substantive change in almost all matters in which both the President and the BDP made promises. We understand the COVID-19 pandemic challenge, but it is not enough reason for you to have failed to deliver on your promises. Given the circumstance, it is somewhat understandable that almost three years into office the trade unions are already baying for your blood.Aptly so, BOFEPUSU leader Johannes Tshukudu over the weekend lamented what should be a basic matter for a cordial relationship, being social dialogue between ruling political leadership and other key stakeholders in an effort to come up with a solution to the problem. The union leader spoke out a lot about the ill-treatment of unions and promised to personally ensure that the Bargaining Council is resuscitated. On another level, we also note your words on the day of workers President Masisi that you acknowledge the delayed resuscitation of the Council and other issues. It is however worrisome that union leaders are not as hopeful as you wish them to be. You should be worried that all they had to say was their concerns and nothing to celebrate from your leadership and government. You will agree that the BOFEPUSU 2014 hit list worked and we can only hope you pull up your socks for the betterment of the lives of Batswana workers both in the Public and Private Sector.
Today’s thought
