Government’s unilateral decision to declare teaching, diamond sorting and veterinary services as Essential Services undermines the value of consultation.
This week, the Minister of Labour and Home Affairs walked into parliament and declared that teaching, diamond sorting and veterinary services will now be Essential Services.
Interestingly, this is the same minister who just a few weeks ago withdrew the same law on the pretext that he had heeded parliament’s advise for the need for consultation.
We find it hard to believe that the consultation ever commenced at all and it would be irresponsible of us to express any sentiment of indifference over a serious matter such as this, which touches on one of our democratic pillars.
It will be recalled that at the time the minister withdrew the statutory notice on the Essential Service schedule, some BDP backbenchers expressed reservations about the proposal.
Our understanding at the time was that the consultation would extend and include public sector unions, notably the Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) and the Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU).
Further, we had hoped that government would brief members of both those residing in rural areas and those in urban areas.
To the best of our knowledge, the only people that were briefed about the issue are the delegates at the July BDP congress in Mahalapye.
It is disappointing to learn that government is failing to measure up to the people’s expectations.
For a government that prides its democracy as founded on consultation, this issue has clearly exposed us for what we have become.
Laws that are genuinely for the public good can never be made in haste and in more of a partisan hunch than an overview of serious consultation with the relevant stakeholders.
If anything, we are crusaders and not a real democratic set up.
Good Education is much more that uninterrupted teaching. It also takes into interest not just the role of the learner but the interest of teachers. As it stands, teachers are one of the lowest paid public servants but with a heavy workload.
Accommodation and progression are also some of the burning issues within the teaching fraternity.
The Diamond Sorting industry revealed this week that it was never consulted and the minister has not rebutted or government has not said a word. It is also clear that those working in the veterinary services have not been consulted.
Instead of giving all these stakeholders a chance, it is disappointing that government now seeks to cage them into a corner and take away their right to engage in a lawful strike.
We are yet to be told where the term ‘Essential Service’, as defined by the International Labour laws, covers professions such as teaching, veterinary and diamond sorting services.
This is, at best, a clear testimony that our country is headed for the worst, where laws are designed to trap and shackle people without little or no interest for their rights.
This is the most unpatriotic gesture ever.
To refuse to include Batswana in a national consultation process is on its own wrong and merits nothing except a strong disapproval on our part.
If, by consultation, we mean a partisan view that excludes other stakeholders then consultation has never been the corner stone of our democracy.
Going forward, a future public strike will invariably affect the economy or service delivery in certain portfolios, but does this mean at the end of it all all public sector employees would have been drafted as Essential Service?
Still on that note, the Unions have indicated that they intend to challenge the matter in court and it’s clear that there will never be peace between the ruling officials and the labour movement.
This situation is not desirous and not only breeds hostility but may inevitably result in the collapse of the relationship.
Worse it will affect service delivery and the innocent tax payers.
We, therefore, call upon minister Siele to withdraw the statutory instrument and give room for consultation; after all, it is supposed to be a key tenet of our democracy.
