16 Mar 2015

Statistics Botswana will form part of a good team as it joins hands with Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU) and other parastatal bodies on labour issues, says BOPEU president, Mr Andrew Motsamai.

Others are Local Enterprise Authority (LEA), Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS), Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB) and Botswana Examination Council (BEC).

Speaking at a collective labour agreement signing ceremony between Statistics Botswana and BOPEU, Mr Motsamai said statistics Botswana would not be isolated as they were venturing into a terrain that other parastatals already knew.

He said BOPEU was prepared to work harmoniously with Statistics Botswana to ensure that workplace issues that might arise would be resolved amicably to make sure there was a win-win situation.

Mr Motsamai noted that the agreement spelt out roles for each party, adding that whatever their pursuits they would be in the interest of both the company and union members.

He assured Statistics Botswana of BOPEU’s continued effort to capacitate members and educate them to ensure that they understood the roles especially those embedded within the agreement.

Statistician general, Ms Anna Majelantle, said the agreement symbolised Statistics Botswana’s willingness and commitment to cooperate and partner with BOPEU in the interest of establishing and maintaining an enabling environment for Statistics Botswana employees.

Ms Majelantle said when Statistics Botswana came into being through the Statistics Act of 2009, employees of the then Central Statistics Office had to cease from being members of the National Amalgamated Local Government and Parastatal Workers Union (NALCGPWU).

“The birth of Statistics Botswana meant that employees had to form their own union hence the collaboration with BOPEU today,” she said. In April 2014, she added, Statistics Botswana recognised BOPEU as part of the bargaining council for Statistics Botswana employees given they met the required threshold as per the Trade Unions and the Employer’s Organization Act.

She said trade unions were important in any organisation because they acted as liaison between the employer and employee hence Statistics Botswana envisaged a positive relationship that sought to promote ideals of labour issues.

Ms Majelantle noted that the leadership of Statistics Botswana appreciated that the collaboration between the organisation and its trade union (BOPEU) was also important because it allowed for joint responsibility for labour related challenges as well as resolutions.

“Collective bargaining will help the organisation to accomplish the best possible agreements between respective parties through respecting each other’s legitimacy, interests and expectations,” she said.

Corporate services director, Mr Kevin Masupe, said employer and employee relationship needed trust between the two, noting that such was a very difficult thing to have particularly given it had to be built.

He said in an agreement like that, it was paramount that certain principles were observed to maintain a long lasting and productive relationship for both parties.

Mr Masupe noted that in a relationship or agreement, there were three issues that should be taken into account, being compromise, commitment and communication, adding that all parties had to move away from beliefs to meet the other partner at a certain stage. ENDS