The decision by the Director, Directorate of Public Service Management
(DPSM) to address public servants across the country has caused a hue and
cry amongst the miscreant gang of unionists calling itself BOFEPUSU. I
should state from the outset that I am a member of Botswana Public Employees
Union (BOPEU) who is still under suspension since 30th May 2011 for
differing with BOFEPUSO at GSS grounds when the decision to go on strike in
2011 was pushed down the throat of members under a morula tree.
Since the
suspension, I have submitted myself to the discipline of BOPEU by agreeing
to attend their disciplinary hearings on 20th August 2011 and 15th October
2011 but up to now I have not heard from them about my status. It is worth
noting that the person who chaired my disciplinary hearing, who is a former
Vice President, has himself been suspended for exercising his constitutional
right to stand for position of Secretary General of BOPEU against the wishes
of BOPEU President Andrew Motsamai. Even the current Secretary for Education
has been suspended and they have cases before the courts challenging their
suspensions.
It was important for me to state the above facts so that it is clear that
the trade union leaders we have are an intolerant and dictatorial lot.
Honestly speaking, they are not really true trade unionists but a motley
crew power hungry business people masquerading as leaders of workers.
My disquiet with the BOFEPUSO hoopla over DPSM meetings is that, the BOPEU
that I belong to has a recognition agreement with DPSM signed by Andrew
Motsamai and Pearl Matome on the 9th March 2009 which states under Sections:
“3.3.3 the Employer recognizes the right of the Union to run its affairs in
accordance with its constitution and to work for improved conditions of
employment for its members. In doing so, the Employer will comply with the
terms of this Agreement, and any other agreement between the Parties as well
as any obligations imposed by law;
3.3.4 the Union recognizes the Employer’s right to manage the public
service, In doing so, the Union will comply with the terms of this
Agreement, and any other agreement between the Parties as well as any
obligations imposed by law;”
This Agreement clearly sets out rights of Employer and Union in the
management of their relationship. In this case the Employer has a ‘right to
manage the public service’.
No wonder Section 15.1 plainly states:
“Nothing contained in this Agreement shall preclude the Employer from
communicating, in any form, directly with Employees, provided that no
communication shall take place which undermines the Union and its
representatives, or which interferes with the process of collective
bargaining.”
If I was allowed to participate in meetings of BOPEU, I would advise them to
fulfill their part of the Agreement by allowing the employer to exercise the
‘right to manage the public service’ and communicate ‘directly with
Employees’, just as much as the Employer allows BOPEU to ‘run its affairs in
accordance with its constitution”. If my memory serves me well (I might be
wrong because I am on suspension and miss most things) the employer has
never stopped BOPEU from running its affairs. BOPEU even consults members on
issues before the Bargaining Council!
In the current hullaballoo in response to Carter Morupisi’s meetings I have
not heard BOPEU’s position but they are clearly guilty by association with
BOFEPUSU. I will not talk much about other members of BOFEPUSO as I do not
have access to their recognition agreements but basing on the great amount
of public fuss, commotion, and uproar with attendant publicity and media
interest following the announcement by DPSM Director to address public
servants, I will share my thoughts about them on the basis of news reports.
For example, Mmegi (11/02/14 page 2) under headline “Unions oppose DPSM
meetings” tells us how members of BOFEPUSO were called to disperse from the
meeting in Letlhakeng by Johnson Motshwarakgole. In the Echo (13-19 February
2014 page 8) Botswana Land Board Local Authorities and Health Workers Union
(BLLAHWU) issued a press release where they ‘.urge all workers to ignore
invitations to attend these meetings as they are politically motivated
meetings to deceive workers in to thinking that the employer or the
government has good heart for the welfare of employees.”.
I think the comment by BLLAHWU quoted above is condescending and insulting
to the intelligence of the workers, to say the least. Who knows, probably
they are right about their members as they are supposed to know them better,
that is, they are easily deceived and as such need protection.
(Un)fortunately for me I am not a member of BLLAHWU, as such their statement
does not affect me as I cannot be deceived and for sure will be attending
the meeting. That is assuming my supervisor does not require me to be part
of the skeletal staff and releases me.
As for me, the DPSM meeting is a welcome development as I do not trust
BOFEPUSO to represent me well given the quality of the leadership they have
and that they are first class hypocrites who never see things beyond their
bellies. For instance when government announced new levels of operation for
teachers, BOSETU an affiliate of BOFEPUSO was excited but as far as I
remember this issue was never before the Bargaining Council but was dealt
with by the Ministry of Education and Skills Development.
Botswana Guardian confirms this:
“But the announcement has infuriated TAWU officials who feel that they were
not properly consulted and that the implementation of the new pay structure
was done in secrecy. Unlike their counterparts, the Botswana Sector for
Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) who welcomed the government’s decision, TAWU
may approach the High Court to have the decision interdicted.”
The other reason I welcome the DPSM Director’s meetings is that as a
suspended BOPEU member, I cannot participate in Union meetings and influence
decisions and as such I have to meet DPSM Director directly. These meetings
also accord a platform to those public servants who are not members of any
union because they chose to exercise their freedom of association not to
associate with any union for whatever reasons they might have.
In conclusion, I want to urge BOFEPUSO to be a little tolerant and inform
themselves at least of the BOPEU recognition agreement which does not
preclude the DPSM from managing the public service. I do not see how DPSM
can manage the public service without having face-to-face interaction with
employees. BOFEPUSO should also reign in on Motshwarakgole who is an
employee of Manual Workers Union because in BOPEU I knew before I was
suspended, our union employees never decided for the Union. It is us members
of the Union who make decisions. Motshwarakgole is not even a public servant
for that matter so he must keep quiet. We never interfere when he meets his
employers, that is, if he has not employed himself.
*The views expressed are personal and do not represent that of government
where I am employed
