Speaking in an interview with The Monitor last Thursday, Siele said they are not trying to prevent teachers, veterinary officers and others whom the government seeks to include as part of the essential service cadre from exercising their basic right to collective bargaining. He said they could belong to their own unions as they are allowed to unionise and engage in collective bargaining.
Critics have charged that government after realising that the teachers' organisations constitute the bulk of public service unions, decided to move in and prevent them from engaging in strikes. Among other things, they point out government's eagerness to amend the Trade Dispute Act (TDA) as a sign that the Ian Khama administration wants to weaken the labour movement in Botswana so that strikes by public service unions will not have far reaching implications on service delivery, as the April-June Botswana Federation of Public Service Unions (BOFEPUSU) strike did. Siele said when it started they (government) were under the impression that the strike would last only 10 days. When it went beyond that, they were shocked.
