17 Jun 2020

Dual or multiple union affiliations could cost employees money which they could have used for something else resulting in indebtedness.

This was said by Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) secretary-general Mr Tobokani Rari in an interview.

The interview was prompted by observations that whereas in the past workers joined  labour unions primarily for the protection of their rights, nowadays it had become common for employees to base their affiliation on social-economic benefits.

Mr Rari explained that everyone was free to associate with a union of their choice as stipulated by the country’s constitution which provides for freedom of association.
However, he said dual membership could become a challenge in the compilation of data as it could lead to inaccuracy or disadvantage unions to reach a certain threshold.

Mr Rari therefore advised employees to anchor their choice on the nature of a trade union they wanted to be associated with.

Furthermore, he said it was important for employees to choose unions which would serve them better as well as rightfully bargain on their behalf.

The BOFEPUSU secretary-general encouraged anyone desiring to subscribe to a particular union to do thorough research about the entity first.

He added that they should assess  a union’s  credibility and competency in advocating for workers’ rights prior to joining.

“They should choose trade unions which will serve them better to defeat the might of the employer,” he said.

For his part, Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU) secretary-general Mr Thusang Butale said if the constitution of a union was silent on dual membership, one was free to join as many unions as he/she could afford.

The most significant aspect in upholding relevancy was the ability for trade unions to address employees concerns, he said.

Mr Butale said in instances where members were disgruntled with the way a particular union handled their issues, they were at liberty to migrate to an organisation they felt comfortable with.

What was captivating about the two umbrella unions, BFTU and BOFEPUSU, he explained, was that even though they represented different sectors, they always had a common ground when representing the country in international gatherings such as the International Labour Organization (ILO). ENDS