Botswana Reported To ILO In 2015
Correspondent | Monday June 19, 2017 15:50
BOFEPUSU would also file a complaint to the International Labour Standars Department on July, 2016(BOFEPUSU’s 2016 letter of complaint is reproduced on page 24)
In their letter seen by the Monitor the BTU and Bosetu joint report raises alarm about Botswana’s Trade Dispute Bill No.12 of 2015.
The report said, “The government of Botswana has moved to extend the cadres of employees that are categorized as essential service. This is the second attempt after they attempted to do so immediately after the 2011 Industrial Action in 2012. The courts of laws reversed the 2012 attempt after BOFEPUSU took the issue to court on account of non - consultation and usurping the powers of parliament by the Minister of Labor”
BOFEPUSU Embrace BFTU Intervention
In the joint letter by BTU and BOSETU, the BOFEPUSU Unions did not demonstrate any hostility to rival federation, the BFTU, and instead reported at the Canada conference that BFTU and BOFEPUSU had forged a united front to lobby that the Trade Dispute Bill No.12 of 2015 should not be passed into law by parliament in its current form. The two federations are in particular against the Sections 46 & 47 of the bill, read the letter to the Education International Conference.
The bill had sought to widen essesntial sevices to include air traffic control services, Botswana vaccine laboratory services, Bank of Botswana, diamond sorting, cutting, and selling services, electricity services, fire services, health services, railways’ operational and maintenance services, wayer services, vertirinary services in public service, teaching service, , government broadcasting services, immigration and customs services.
The bill had further sought to ensure that employees in essential services shall not take part in a strike, and lockout.