The very few workers that marched from Notwane grounds to deliver a petition at minister Peter Siele's office also lacked the spirit accustomed to struggle as there was virtually no song, nor dance.Upon arrival BFTU secretary general, Gadzani Mhotsha went through a lengthy and worded document, which pointed a finger at Siele's ministry for the plight of the working class. "The BFTU, the national trade union centre wishes to address the following petition to your office and to the government, on behalf of the toiling masses of our republic; a workforce which the national census would soon confirm to be nearing a million persons," Mhotsha said in his introductory remarks. This was greeted by voices saying 'ha hatshe ka kgatelelo, ha hatshe', which loosely translates to down with the oppressor. He advanced that the movement has deliberately chosen to address the concerns of the workers on that day as remembrance of the WDDW, following Siele's signing of the Botswana Decent Work Country Programme with the national social partners and the International Labour Organisation.
Mhotsha reminded Siele of government's commitment to the ILO's guiding programme, which is the Decent Work Agenda, and pointed out the 'glaring deficits of decent work' that have been developing of late. The petition was received by Permanent Secretary in the ministry Lucky Moahi. "Since the break of the global economic crisis, inflation has been eating away at the purchasing power of our wages and devastating the pockets and livelihoods of our families," he cried.
