The union believes the health system has qualified individuals, a lot of whom are BONU members. The ministry earlier this month advertised vacancies titled: "EXTERNAL ADVERTISEMENT VACANCY CIRCULAR NO. 25 OF 2024" with nine vacancy codes. Unamused by the developments, BONU through Sharp Law Group, whisked the Ministry, the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) and the Attorney General to the Industrial Court. BONU made an urgent application on June 20, 2024 interdicting external advertisement of D2 positions made on June 12, 2024. According to court documents, BONU firmly believes that the majority of their members employed under the DPSM have the necessary qualifications and experience to fill the vacant D2 positions at the MoH hence it was imperative to seek the intervention of the courts.
The attorneys state that their claim arises from grievances experienced by their client stemming from an internal advertisement made public on November 3, 2023 for the position of Principal Nursing Officer I. The said advert required Bachelor’s degree in general nursing or equivalent; registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Botswana and in possession of a valid practicing license; and at least two years work experience as Principal Nursing Officer II or 10 years in a relevant field. The Union argues that there are a number of nurses currently employed under the MoH whose experience falls within the ambit of the requirements of the external advertisement. They went on to list 16 suitors with over 10 years of experience each, whom they state had applied for the post but none of them was shortlisted or called for an interview. They argue that the externally advertised positions' key performance areas include those which the said candidates had been doing. “The employees, having applied for the internal position, anticipated the standard procedure of job applications, which includes an interview process.
