15 Dec 2020

 Public Service Bargaining Council (PSBC) closed its business on February 28, following a decision by the only representatives of trade unions, the assistant minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Dumizweni Mthimkhulu has said.

Mr Mthimkhulu told Parliament that this followed the decision by BOFEPUSU Acting Jointly Arrangement to terminate its membership, and subsequent deregistration of the PSBC by the Commissioner of Labour in accordance with the provision of Section 51(5) of the Public Service Act No. 30 of 2008. 

He said at the time of deregistration of PSBC, the employer was the only remaining party responsible for facilitating all the necessary administrative processes to formally close its offices, including preservation of its physical financial assets.

He said the employer was the only remaining party responsible for facilitating all the necessary administrative processes to formally close its offices, including preservation of its physical and financial assets.

He explained that the secretariat of PSBC comprises of five employees and that their positions were general secretary/principal officer, manager responsible for collective bargaining and disputes resolution, assistant finance officer, assistant HR officer and secretary/ receptionist. 

He said the two managerial staff were employed on fixed term contracts while non-managerial staff were employed on permanent and pensionable terms.

Minister Mthimkhulu said the two persons that were employed at the PSBC were employed by the PSBC and that at the time of closure of PSBC, all the employees were retrenched in accordance with relevant provisions of the Employment Act as read with terms and conditions of emplacement for PSBC secretariat. 

Consequently, he noted that none of the staff were redeployed at any government institution or department and that the affected employees were accordingly paid their terminal benefits in the form of gratuity up to the date of retrenchment.

However, he said there was a former employees of the PSBS who applied for re-deployment in the public service, and thereafter, was offered employment on April 1, 2019 after being subjected to the normal recruitment process.

Furthermore, he said the PSBC did not have any immovable assets and that all its valuable properties such as motor vehicles, office furniture and equipment as well as other valuable records were handed over by the then secretary general to the office of the Director of Public Service Management for safe custody.

He said in terms of the financial assets, they were properly secured in one of the communal banks, and the signatories of the bank accounts of the PSBC were accordingly removed from assessing the finances of the council. 

He said what remained was for the parties that made up the former PSBC to reach consensus on what to do with the assets.

He was answering Ngami MP, Mr Caterpillar Hikuama, who had asked the minister to update Parliament on the state of the Botswana Public Service Bargaining Council. 

He wanted to know the number of employees who worked for PSBC secretariat and their positions as well as whether employees were redeployed to government departments or institutions and wanted to know where they have been taken to.

Mr Hikuama had also asked what happened to the movable and immovable property of the council when it was disbanded in 2017. ends