04 Aug 2015

The impact of the ongoing strike at Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS) is minimal, says Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Mr Kenneth Matambo. 

However, he said there was slow service at border posts, adding that in spite of the development, border posts had all remained open. 

At headquarters and inland offices, he said 80 per cent of the personnel had continued to work, and that revenue collection and customer service at the areas had been satisfactory.

Briefing Parliament, Mr Matambo said BURS management had put in place strategies to monitor the strike and minimise its impact through the establishment of a command centre to collate information from stations regarding present BURS staff. 

Furthermore, he said strategies include dissemination of information to members of the public about the strike, measures to secure borders and to facilitate trade, redeployment of staff to operational units as well as suspension of non-urgent business such as taxpayer audits.

Explaining events that led to the strike, the minister said initially the government had awarded a six per cent salary adjustment to public employees effective from 1 April 2015.

BURS management, he said, recommended a similar increase in respect of its employees and that the board approved the recommendation and mandated management to negotiate the increase with the two unions being Manual Workers Union and Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU).

Mr Matambo said following the board’s mandate management engaged the two unions. He added that manual workers agreed that the increase should be implemented whilst BOPEU did not agree and made a counter proposal of 15 per cent.

Furthermore, he said BOPEU was of the view that BURS was a commercial parastatal which had a healthy balance sheet.

However, he said BURS clarified that they were wholly funded by the government, and that the current budget of BURS could only afford the six per cent increase.  He said BURS further advised BOPEU that rather than press for full salary negotiations, they ought to await the outcome of the ongoing BURS organisational and pay structure review where BOPEU was represented. 

He said BOPEU only revised their proposed salary increase from 15 per cent to 12 per cent and eventually settled for 11 per cent. 

Given that BURS was not able to offer more than six per cent, he said BOPEU insisted on 11 per cent, and that the matter was referred to the commissioner of labour, adding that the two parties met the mediator on 10 July 2015 where no agreement was reached.

Consequently, he said a certificate of failure to settle the dispute was issued.

Mr Matambo said upon receipt of the certificate, BOPEU decided to notice BURS of an industrial action to commence on 23 July 2015. He said BURS attempts to request the court to declare the strike illegal  proved futile as the court dismissed the application.

He said the strike consisted of withdrawal of labour for two days per week, and that it was to be indefinite. 

Later on, he said BURS received a fresh notice from BOPEU changing the strike from two days per week to daily withdrawal of service for an indefinite period from July 29.

Gaborone Bonnington North MP, Mr Ndaba Gaolathe had asked the minister to update Parliament on the strike at BURS, including assessment on potential negative impact on the economy and security of the country. Ends