17 Dec 2017

 Minister of Employment, Labour Productivity and Skills Development, Mr Tshenolo Mabeo has told Parliament that his ministry was aware that some security companies delayed in paying their employees.

Answering a question in Parliament recentlyy, Mr Mabeo said the security companies in question commonly alleged that the main contractor would not have honoured the agreed date of payment for the service, resulting in further delay or non-payment of salaries to employees of the security companies.

He said such cases were reported with the different district labour offices around the country.

The minister further stated that he was not aware that constituency offices were inundated with complaints from employees who were in turn victimised for complaining to the district labour offices.

He said his ministry continued to receive such cases from employees of security companies.

He however urged employees to refer their trade disputes to the Commissioner of Labour through the district labour offices as provided for by the Trade Disputes Act of 2016.

Mr Mabeo said the Employment Act was clear on payment of salaries as it states that non-payment of salaries is an offence punishable by law.

MP Buti Billy of Francistown East had asked the minister if he was aware that security companies were bad payers as they often failed to pay their employees on time and in some instances failed to pay completely.

Mr Billy also wanted to know if the minister was aware that constituency offices were inundated with complaints from employees who were in turn victimised for complaining to the district labour offices.

The MP further wanted the minister to state the kind of action that was being taken against such security companies.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Kenneth Matambo told Parliament that as far as he was concerned, Stanbic Bank Botswana had neither violated any banking ethics or conduct nor misappropriated any monies for the National Petroleum Fund.

The minister was answering a question from Mogoditshane MP, Mr Sedirwa Kgoroba, who had wanted to know why Stanbic Bank was still allowed to operate after violating the banking ethics since the Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, Advocate Sadique Kebonang had confirmed to Parliament that the bank had misappropriated some money amounting to P2 million. BOPA