Should politicians take part in union strikes?

FRANCISTOWN: Observers are not in one accord as to whether politicians should take part in strike action by unions or even whether trade union members should also be political actors.

One group feels that unions should only address the economic and working conditions of the workers and desist from becoming political actors. The other insists that in a liberal democracy, unions are part of the political process adding that workers and politicians are "comrades in arms" who cannot be expected to stay an arms length relationship with each other.

Addressing workers in the on-going BOFEPUSU-led strike in Francistown, the Regional Secretary, Tshekatsheko Lekang, said that if the government continues breaching the strike rules, the union will have no choice but to ask for assistance from opposition parties.

Editor's Comment
Gov’t must rectify recognition of Khama as Kgosi

While it is widely acknowledged that Khama holds the title of Kgosi, the government’s failure to properly gazette his recognition has raised serious concerns about adherence to legal procedures and the credibility of traditional leadership. (See a story elsewhere in this newspaper.) Recent court documents by the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Kgotla Autlwetse, shed light on the intricacies of Khama’s recognition process....

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