Members of Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) have been urged to scrutinise political candidates before voting them into power. This was said by BOFEPUSU north regional secretary Tshekatsheko Lekang during the Labour Day commemorations in Francistown on Thursday.
Lekang said the forthcoming elections present an opportunity for workers to oust leaders who have been detrimental to their cause and elect into power champions of workers’ rights who will deliver them from their current adversities. He further warned workers that their plight will only get worse if they re-elect incapable candidates. “Expect more adversities if you elect candidates who are not on your side. These are difficult times for public servants and Batswana in general. The country is in shambles. Elections are just around the corner and the change you desire is in your hands. You can bring about change. You must vote for a leader who will ease your adversities,” said Lekang.
He urged union members to take advantage of the current supplementary voter registration and register for elections. He accused the current government of failing Batswana as it had led the country into poverty and unprecedented corruption levels, with the gap between the rich and the poor widening by the day. He called for unity in the labour movement and encouraged public servants to continue fighting for what they believe in. Lekang also lamented the fact that workers are sidelined and ignored even though they are the pivot of the national economy. “Instead our government perceives us as the enemy. However, change is inevitable and we can bring that change with our vote,” he said.
For his part, Vice Secretary of Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU), Innocent Mannathoko accused President Ian Khama of trampling on the rights of public servants by not recognizing the Public Service Bargaining Council (PSBC). He said the President disregards the PSBC and chooses to make unilateral decisions that impact on the welfare of workers at kgotla meetings.
He accused President Khama of breaking the law by disregarding the PSBC even though it was enacted by an act of parliament. Mannathoko said government should account for the deplorable state of education in the country. He said the education sector is beleaguered by poor results, lack of resources and poor working conditions for teachers, all of which paint a bleak future for the country. “How do you expect a teacher to deliver effectively if he or she teaches fifty students in a classroom? To make matters worse, most of the schools are in a dilapidated state and they are under resourced. Take Montsamaisa Community Junior School in Francistown for an example, ever since its establishment it has never been refurbished,” he said. The Labour Day commemorations were held under the theme “unleashing a progressive labour agenda through influencing regime change.”
