Nurses take govt to court over 'standby'

Following failure to reach common ground from engaging the employer, Department of Labour, and eventually getting a certificate of failure to settle from the Commissioner of Labour, the Industrial Court is set to determine the matter.

Nurses want government to discontinue Call to Duty, where they are expected to report to duty when required to do so beyond their working hours. Through the Botswana Nurses Union (BONU), the health workers argue that Call to Duty is illegal, encroaches on nurses' rest period and exposes them to abuse by the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM). During the first stage of the case, the Francistown Industrial court dismissed the DPSM argument that BONU brought the matter to court too early.