There are still a lot of things that both the Government and trade unions in Botswana still have to learn when it comes to handling of strike actions.
In fact, the longer the strike action by public servants the clearer it gets that both parties are minnows when it comes to industrial relations.
Right from the beginning of the strike, the two opposing sides have wanted to win the hearts and minds of the public.
And for a reason.
Public support, or a lack of it is a crucial determinant of the extent to which strike action of any kind succeeds or fails.
If the public feels that the striking union is justified in their actions that often put pressure on the employer to seriously consider the demands of the employees.
On the other hand, if the public court perception is of the view that trade unions are unreasonable, it becomes easier for the employer to flex their muscle and resist any calls for concessions.
While no research has been carried out to provide a definitive answer of just how much public support the striking public servants have, so far it would be safe to say, generally people understood the fundamental causes of the strike.
This, however, is not to suggest the support the strike action has from the public is infinite.
It, therefore, came as a shock for many of us to learn early last week that the strike action was going to be indefinite.
Our advice to trade union leaders is that they should tread with care.
The structure of Botswana’s political economy is such that there is an over reliance on the public service to provide almost every service one can think of ÔÇô essential or not.
This is mainly because, unlike other countries, Botswana has a very weak private sector that will take many years to fill in the gap.
It, therefore, goes without saying that if the strike action by public servants is perceived to have dragged on for far too long, the public will, as the first reaction, withdraw their support and sympathy.
That would have a backlash effect in that the employer would grow emboldened and start to harden their attitudes at the negotiating tables.
That is certainly not what the trade unions want.
There is no doubt that the strike action has had a serious effect, especially on disrupting public services.
Only a government, itself a part of the belligerents, can deny it.
But the public, who are at the receiving end, cannot imagine that they will be at the receiving end indefinitely.
At the clinics and hospitals, people have to wait for much longer times to get helped. That is if they are not turned away.
The same applies to other public areas where people get services.
When the situation does not improve, the public will soon be vetting their frustrations on the striking public service.
There is yet another element to it.
Other than losing public sympathy and support, a strike action that drags on and on often leads to divisions within the ranks of the striking employees.
In fact, we would be surprised if none of the original striking employees have not already resorted to work after the announcement that action would no longer be 10 days but indefinite.
That again is one element that we hope the union leaders will be paying attention to.
The most important thing to bear in mind is to never take public support for granted.
There always comes a time when the public feels that workers have made their grievances known and that it is wiser and beneficial to go back to work while negotiations continue behind the scenes as they have always done and will always do.
