14 Dec 2017

There are delays in paying benefits to complainants whose trade disputes are settled at the district labour offices, says Minister of Employment, Labour and Skills Development, Mr Tshenolo Mabeo.

Answering a question in Parliament recently, Mr Mabeo said the money paid by respondents in settlement of a trade dispute was  remitted to government treasury cashier for safe custody and explained  that beneficiaries needed to be created in the government database for them to be paid.

He said the process of creating beneficiaries in the GABS data system was slow because it was centralised at the Department of Labour and Social Security headquaters in Gaborone.

The Minister said that documents pertaining to the claim were required for a beneficiary to be created in the system, adding that the whole process is explained to the parties during mediation or arbitration.

Mr Mabeo said there had been an improvement in the process of paying the beneficiaries since the process of creating data was decentralised from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to ministries and departments in July 2015.

He said that his ministry would continue to monitor the situation to ensure that the process was expedited.

MP for Francistown East, Mr Buti Billy had asked the Minister if he was aware of the delay by district labour offices in releasing funds paid through their offices for beneficiaries of settled trade disputes  and if so, the MP wanted to know when the process would be improved. ENDS