Avani Hotel’s quarter pay for workers stalemates

Despite resistance from staff, Avani Hotels & Resorts is steadfast in enforcing drastic pay cuts for its employees citing loss of business.

Allan Clingham – General Manager at and People and Culture Manager – Shadrack Mbaiwa have written a letter to the Commissioner of Labour on the company’s intentions to keep their employees’ salaries at 25 percent.

The letter, dated 06 August 2020, which was also copied to the Botswana Commercial and General Workers Union also shed light about the ongoing salaries dispute between Avani Hotels and the Botswana Commercial and General Workers Union.

According to Clingham, the Botswana Commercial and General Workers Union initially demanded 100 percent pay for their members working at Avani Hotel & Resorts.

“We held the second Union/Management meeting on the 29^th July 2020 where Avani management could not accede to the Union 100 percent salary demand due to current business level which are still low, however management counter offered with a proposal which the Union had to look and revert to management”, reads part of the letter written to the Labour Commissioner.

In the same letter, Clingham also made a claim that the Greater Gaborone lockdown which started on 30^th July 2020 has brought a loss of P3.5 million to Avani Hotel & Resorts due to cancelation of bookings and closure of the Casino business.

The Botswana Commercial and General Workers Union says they have on the 24^th July 2020 made a counter offer to Avani which the hotelier has not responded to.

“We proposed that those who have worked for a full month be paid full salary. Those who went to work on rotational basis be paid 60 percent while those in the payroll but did not work be paid 50 percent of their salaries”, Kgopolo Chikare – Organising Secretary at the Botswana Commercial and General Workers Union told The Telegraph late Monday.

Chikare also told The Telegraph that the Avani Hotel The management has not responded to their counter-proposal despite the fact that the union had indicated that it was willing to negotiate further.

Meanwhile it also emerged late Monday that the duo – hotel management and the workers union were to join Business Botswana for a meeting about the matter with the Commissioner of Labour on Tuesday.