26 Mar 2019

Several MPs have complained that brigades and technical colleges were in a general state of disrepair throughout the country.

They raised the complaints when debating the 2019/20 budget estimates for the Ministry of Employment, Labour Productivity and Skills Development.

MP for Mahalapye East, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso said brigades were being neglected, arguing that currently all of them were characterised by dilapidated buildings.

Ms Tshireletso also decried bad working conditions that some locals were being subjected to by foreign employers.

She called on the ministry to ensure that respect for workers’ rights were violated, particularly in the private sector.

MP Edwin Batshu of Nkange said while government had noble intentions to turn around the state of vocational education and training, the core mandate of vocational training institutions was being neglected as focus had since shifted to co-curricular activities such as boot camps.

Mr Batshu said the shift in focus was likely to result in students becoming disillusioned that their need to acquire education and skills were being taken lightly.

On a positive note, the legislator commended the ministry for having fostered a positive relationship between government and trade unions.

MP Thato Kwerepe of Ngami also hailed the positive relations between trade unions and government. On a different issue, he noted that there were many labour disputes within the tourism sector, where he said contraventions to labour laws were rampant.

MP for Francistown South, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi said security companies continued to exploit workers as some of them subjected employees to poor pay, late payments of wages as well as non-provision of protective clothing.

In addition, he said some employers had little regard for labour laws as they continued to mistreat workers and not show up when called for mediation by the authorities.

Mr Mmolotsi also noted that the Industrial Court often took long to resolve labour disputes lodged with it.

Sefhare-Ramokgonami lawmaker, Ms Dorcas Makgato called for reforms in the ministry with the view of improving the turnaround times for the processing of work permits.

Ms Makgato further urged government to review the law so as to allow citizens to engage foreign domestic workers as had been done with herdsmen and farm workers. On security companies, she implored government to consider blacklisting companies that flouted labour laws.

Also, she said the law should force security companies to scrutinise potential employees before hiring them, saying currently employees were engaged without having been subjected to any checks, something that he said could result in the rise in crime rates.

For his part, MP for Shoshong Mr Dikgang Makgalemele thanked the ministry for the increase in the number of learners that had been admitted into brigades this year.

He also praised the boot camps and character building activities being carried out in brigades, urging the ministry to consider working with organisations such as Scripture Union and Boy Scouts to enhance their effectiveness in the endeavour to help mould the country’s youth.

MP Shaw Kgathi of Bobonong urged the ministry to ensure that there was compliance with labour laws, especially in farms. He also called for a downward review of charges for work permits, saying at the moment the permits were too expensive to process.

Mahalapye West legislator Mr Joseph Molefe complained that work permits took long to process. On another issues, he hailed the positive labour relations between government and trade unions,  observing that they would help enhance productivity levels.

Gaborone North MP, Mr Haskins Nkaigwa said the Employment Act does not fully protect workers,  but rather helped perpetuate their abuse by employers. He said it was disappointing that there were some employers who still subject their workers to one-month contracts for a period of ten years. Ends