03 May 2021

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi says he is aware of the state of affairs regarding some labour relations issues such as full implementation of the Botswana Decent Work Country Programme and delayed resuscitation of the Public Service Bargaining Council.

  In his International Labour Day message on Saturday, he said under the guidance of a mutually agreed upon independent facilitator, Directorate of  Public Service Management (DPSM) together with all public service unions had been engaging each other in a spirit of mutual respect and good faith.

“I am reliably informed that, despite the plethora of past challenges and obstacles, there is hope for the bargaining council. I am further informed that the parties have resolved to seek expert advice from the ILO to address outstanding issues in order to complete the task of resuscitating the council,” he said. 

Dr Masisi said one of biggest lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic was the critical need to invest in social protection systems and occupational health and safety.

To that effect, President Masisi said through the Botswana Decent Work Country Programme, work had commenced for developing a national occupational health and safety policy to enhance existing social protection provisions. 

“Furthermore, government is working on a social protection framework to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on our economy which include continuous engagement with companies to assist them to find alternative ways of avoiding job losses,” he said. 

He said measures had been put in place to safeguard both employer and employee interests during the pandemic.

 The ongoing review of laws such as Employment Act, Public Service Act and Trade Disputes Act to align them with international labour standards would go a long way in creating decent work, said the President. 

He said the alignment would also pave the way for effectively addressing issues such as fair income, workplace equal opportunities for both men and women as well as security and protection. 

President Masisi noted that through Vision 2036, Botswana had committed to be a high-income country with an export-led economy underpinned by diversified, inclusive and sustainable growth driven by high levels of productivity.

He said the pandemic had proven to be more than just a health crisis as it had caused severe economic shocks, disruptions and suffering throughout the world.

“Some of the notable effects of the pandemic are salary cuts, closure of businesses, forced and unpaid leave and unilateral variation of contracts of employment,” said Dr Masisi.

In view of the challenges, President Masisi said, government had taken unprecedented actions to bring read and transmission of the disease and safeguard the livelihoods of our people,” he said.

He said under the state of emergency, businesses were prohibited from retrenching or dismissing employees.

“In the initial stages of the outbreak, representatives of the tripartite parties namely government, employers and workers had regular engagements in order to provide guidance to the world of work. These engagements resulted in the development of guidelines whose intention was to protect employment,” he said. 

The President said the pandemic had exacerbated the challenge of unemployment, particularly among young people. 

“To this end, as you may be aware, the government has developed an Economic Recovery Transformation Plan and committed billions of Pula in the long term to resuscitate the economy thereby creating jobs for our youth,” he said.

He said the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines had renewed hope with projections indicating robust economic recovery for the second half of 2021. 

  Saying May 1 must be a reminder of people’s contribution and dedication to improve the economy over the years, the President noted that some of the over 700 lives lost to COVID-19 had been key drivers for any economic transformation the nation wanted to pursue.

  President Masisi extended deepest condolences to all families who had lost loved ones to the pandemic.

  He thanked all frontline workers, particularly medical doctors, health and teaching professionals, immigration officials, drivers, cleaners and law enforcement agencies as well as employee organisations for their immense contribution to the containment of the pandemic.ends