21 Mar 2019

 The Public Service Bargaining Council (PSBC) is the duly constituted forum for negotiating salaries and conditions of work for public employees.

However, in its absence, there were other structures in place to address such, the Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Machana Shamukuni told Parliament.

Responding to a parliamentary question on March 19, Mr Shamukuni said in the absence of the PSBC, the Court of Appeal ruled that negotiations be undertaken on a bilateral basis between government and each public service union.

“Accordingly, the procedure for negotiations of salaries and conditions of service for public service employees are guided by the Rules of Engagement that parties would have agreed upon before commencement of the negotiations. This was the case with the salary negotiations for the financial year 2019-20. I am therefore not aware of any protocol that disadvantages public employees as such protocols would have been agreed upon by the negotiating parties,” Mr Shamukuni said.

He added that there were no steps being taken to promulgate a law on the disclosure of information with regard to negotiations for salaries and conditions of service.

Mr Shamukuni said this was because the disclosure of information was already provided for under the Trade Union and Employers Organisations Act Section 48.

The assistant minister quoted the act, which reads; “Subject to the provisions of subsections (2) to (8), an employer shall, on request, disclose all relevant information to a recognised trade union that is reasonably required to allow the trade union to consult or bargain collectively.”

Mr Shamukuni was answering a question from the Member of Parliament for Jwaneng-Mabutsane, Mr Shawn Ntlhaile.

Mr Ntlhaile sought to know if the minister was aware that the current protocol for negotiating salaries and conditions of work for civil servants was disadvantaging the workers and was the source of conflict in the labour relations of the country. ENDS