In the cross-fire

BOFEPUSU was not in attendance at the Labour Advisory Board (LAB) meeting convened by deputy chairman Sam Leero in the absence of the chairman Kingsley Sebele. Representing the workers was the Botswana Federation of Trade Union (BFTU), who had also roped in BOPEU to represent public servants. The meeting was also attended by representatives of Business Botswana (formerly BOCCIM) and the government.

Those who attended the Thursday meeting, which came ahead of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) regional gathering in Addis Ababa this week, told The Monitor that Batshu spoke of how rival trade union movements want to get him to take sides but he was not willing to do so. Batshu is also reported to have told the meeting that he had advised BFTU and BOFEPUSU to solve their differences on their own, after BOFEPUSU asked the Minister to intervene.