Director of Ceremonies, President of the BOPEU and Members of the Central Executive Committee, honourable guests from sister unions and business associates, members, ladies and Gentlemen: I am humbled to have been called upon to officiate at this landmark event, which I personally consider to be a huge milestone, particularly that I personally number on the pioneers of the establishment of this labour movement. Indeed, BOPEU will always have a special place in my heart as I once served briefly in its predecessor, Botswana Civil Service Association, as a Secretary General during the early days of Botswana independence.
I have paid attention to the President’s presentation on the journey towards establishing a Head office. How it emanated from thoughts that were put into a strategic plan of 1999, where it was found necessary to develop capacity to deliver coordinated efforts by the association/union bringing together all the business of the organisation under one roof. This strategy was indeed the onset of a long struggle that culminated into what we are celebrating today. Whilst one group celebrated the initiation of the plan, events unfolded and reached climax in mid-2006 when the then BCSA managed to launch their first two properties, one being originally designated the headquarters. However, it is interesting that like any good investor you weighed your options to continue benefitting from the available dispensation such as government funded housing, which you capitalised on to further your property and business investments.
I am pleased to note that, and you must feel proud that since 2010 the union managed to acquire property and land that together rate to over P40 million. In addition, you have established a business in the name of Babereki, which has been separated from the normal union business in order to allow it to independently grow itself, and be a source of income to complement the union’s core business. I am mostly thrilled by the fact that the union considers investing in various sectors and geographic locations; this includes Agricultural and commercial lands in Palapye, Residential land in Morwa, training school plot in Gaborone, and offices particularly in places where BOPEU has decentralised.
Since BOPEU boasts a portfolio of income-generating structures, which were built from a kitty arising from member contributions, one hopes that it will at some stage articulate to us as to exactly what monetary benefits accrue to the members directly. Do they get dividends on a yearly basis or special bonuses? Has it set up a special purpose investment vehicle along the lines of Botswana Public Officers Pension Fund that its members can tap into in old age? It goes without saying that union monies are monies of the people for the people by the people. The monies have to benefit them in direct proportion with the assets they accumulate. Otherwise, we could witness someday an uprising of the workers against “fat cats” amongst the union’s top brass! Let us guard against an Animal-Farm like revolt in the BOPEU realm.
Now, it is one thing to put up an imposing edifice such as this one and quite another to be a progressive champion of workers’ rights and aspirations. So let us at this juncture pose a question: what is the role of unionism? Major unions such as BOPEU work to provide the best benefits for their members. This includes the areas of positive work environment, job security, salaries and benefits, and the ability to strike if certain conditions are not met. Larger unions also work politically to be influential in legislation that will continue to benefit its members.
In doing so, however, unions should not overreach themselves as there could be repercussions both directly and indirectly. In some Western countries, unions so overpriced their workers that the end-result was a mass exodus of jobs to other countries of the world because we are a global village. Many western conglomerates now outsource jobs to countries in Asia where unionism is not that bellicose and disruptive.
In the United Kingdom, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher carved herself a reputation as the nemesis of the trade union movement. She managed to destroy the power of the trade unions for almost a quarter of a century. It was many years after her departure from the political scene that unionism began to find its feet again. Prime Minister Thatcher regarded the unions as the “enemy within”. Once, when the miners were on a prolonged wildcat strike, she said, “We had to fight the enemy without in the Falklands. We always have to be aware of the enemy within, which is much more difficult to fight and more dangerous to liberty.” Thatcher’s stance did not simply stem from her moniker as the Iron Lady. In those days, there were endless strikes afflicting the Post Office, steel industry, the ferries, steelworks and much more. Unionism in Botswana of course is not as truculent but forewarned is forearmed. Please do not allow yourselves to go to extremes in your crusading for the wellbeing of the worker. We own the country together.
Please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying you should be a docile union, invariably prone to offering the other cheek when your employer, the Government spits in your face. It is excess I caution against. Life is about balance and any form of extremism can only be counterproductive. Whatever counter-measures you adopt have to be weighed against investor perception of the country and the broader economic well-being. In neighbouring South Africa, investors in the mining sector in particular are putting up businesses for sale because the endless spiral of strikes have nearly fatally dented their bottom lines. Investors create jobs. There cannot be workers without jobs and there cannot be a BOPEU without workers.
The scope of unionist activity must not be fettered. For instance, unions must be free to participate in politics, even as individuals. COSATU in South Africa does that robustly as an ally to the ruling ANC. Indeed unions have produced presidents. Examples include Leich Valesa in Poland; Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil; and Frederick Chiluba in Zambia. But in dabbling in politics, unions must be objective. They must constructively engage the government of the day whilst striving for the welfare of their membership. They must take into account economic realities of their country and not simply brush them aside. For example, when Chiluba he was a unionist, he thought he would promptly transform Zambia into a paradise when he became president. He was hailed as the long awaited messiah of the copper-rich country that ironically reeled from high levels of poverty. As president, however, he had a wake-up call. Suddenly, economic rectitude hit home. He hardly fulfilled a single pledge he had made to the electorate. His profile was that of a lacklustre president. None of the national landmarks has been named after him. Unionism therefore must be pragmatic and not quixotic. This is a real world we live in and not Cloudy Cuckoo Land.
As much as BOPEU must be indefatigable in ensuring that its membership are not shortchanged, it must vociferously inculcate to them good work ethics. As BOPEU has physically positioned and branded itself, and in line with your vision of becoming the union of choice, the work culture and work ethics that BOPEU should uphold should be that which will raise praise and act as an attraction to those who will be seeking services from this building. I am saying this because customer service and efficiency in service delivery remains a great challenge in both the public and private sector, coming at a cost to our economy. In Botswana, we are famed for our languid work ethic. Our productivity levels are said to be among the lowest in the world. Both Former Presidents Masire and Mogae are on record as lamenting how listlessly Batswana apply themselves to work. As a person who runs business concerns myself, I can eloquently attest to that.
When we show a predilection to hiring foreigners, it is not because they come cheap or we simply hate our own people: it is because our own people give the impression that they were not destined to work. BOPEU should give its members an ultimatum ÔÇô that we will fight for our betterment but we have to do our part by working industriously and productively. Workers must not simply agitate for good conditions of service: they must demonstrate that they have earned that by being unambiguously productive. Only then can BOPEU bear out its relevance in a increasingly competitive global economic firmament.
Coming back to the building, let me once again underscore that a building such as this one is a great milestone and achievement that any entity could ever acquire. I am told the union has full legal rights for the property, something that is highly commendable. I actually want to reiterate this to the international visitors that I am told are here visiting BOPEU as a benchmark, to take word about what you have witnessed here back home as a good experience and I wish to vouch that you have made a good decision to associate with this union, it is indeed a serious one. I encourage these exchange programmes because they bring knowledge, ideas and skills which will definitely grow the quality of labour interventions in the region and the larger Africa.
I therefore wish to take this opportunity to commend this giant for surpassing our expectation, having proved that the cause which started in 1942 and the subsequent struggles made in the interests of the labour movement were definitely not in vain. I wish to congratulate you on this great achievement on behalf of the pioneers. I wish you a successful and productive life in the building, and I will personally remain accessible to share any ideas that will build the organisation. I pray that all your endeavors will continue to thrive in this building. I therefore on this note have the honour and sincere gratitude to pronounce this building officially opened. Le ka moso bagaetsho. Long live BOPEU! !
*Magang is a former cabinet Minister. He was officially opening BOPEU office building
