17 Feb 2015

The relationship between the employer and the employee is important because workers spend almost 90 per cent of their time in the workplace, says the Directorate on Public Service Management (DPSM) director, Ms Ruth Maphorisa.

Speaking at the fourth BOFEPUSU congress in Gaborone over the weekend, Ms Maphorisa said the relations between the two were important for productivity to flourish.  She said, by nature, wherever people were, conflicts were bound to arise because people were different, but what was key was dealing with each other with respect and working cordially.

Ms Maphorisa said she would not speak to issues of bargaining council for the reason that negotiations were ongoing. Dr Trywell Kasulopa from Zambia who was the keynote speaker spoke under the theme; ‘Creators of wealth agitating for stake in political economy.’

Dr Kasulopa said globalization has taken center stage and had centered on the worker.  He said the world was now highly multi-lateral; International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Trade Organisation were key institutions setting tone and agenda for the world.

He said workers in Botswana were interwoven in the multiplicity of trade agreements being reached simultaneously in most SADC countries and it was time trade unions were engaged when such agreements were signed.

Further he said, workers needed to understand that determining and defining their stake in the political economy depended on their collective power which was built on the working class consciousness.

 “Power defines the flow of influence on policy which is the currency of politics as it tips and determines the social and economic order. And any organisation must seek to influence that power,” he added.

He emphasised that the union movement remained a vehicle that could be used to advance the worker’s cause in Botswana.

“It is the vanguard of the working class and therefore to achieve this requires ideological clarity,” he said.

Earlier Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) outgoing president Ms Masego Mogwera said 2012-2014 was packed with a lot of activities that changed the landscape of the labour movement and the political landscape of Botswana.

However, she said steep challenges remained following the 2011 Public Service industrial strike.

“We have gone through turbulences and hardships that followed the 2011 Industrial action which to date we have not yet recovered from its effects, we still have 400 members who have not yet got employment after the strike,” she said.

Ms Mogwera said that was a hefty challenge that needed to be addressed calling for activists to come up with a long term plan that could cushion members when faced with such kinds of situations who more often than not were breadwinners.

At the end of the congress the central executive was elected and Botswana Teachers Union president Mr Johannes Tshukudu was elected BOFEPUSU president taking over from Ms Mogwera.

Mr Tobokani Rari was re-elected to his position of Secretary General, Mr Ketlhalefile Motshegwa was nominated Deputy Secretary General, Mr Johnson Motshwarakgole retained his position as secretary for Labour, Mr Moses Monnatsie was nominated Treasurer, while Mr Mogomotsi Motshegwa became the Publicity Secretary. ENDS