Traffic officers declared redundant

The workers have approached the National Amalgamated Parastatal, Local and Central Government Manual Workers Union to fight for them. The union's organising secretary, Johnson Motshwarakgole confirmed on Wednesday that they have started talks with the roads department and the ministry management about the issue. 'The workers came to us. We said there is no way they can be told that their job has become redundant and they should look for other jobs. That would be tantamount to voluntary transfers. Our agreement with government is that when certain jobs become redundant, the affected unit should communicate with the Department Personnel Service Management (DPSM), who will communicate with us the workers' union. It is only then that the union can sit down with the ministry and find out the available posts for redeployment,' Motshwarakgole told Mmegi.

'First and foremost, the union is responsible for counselling the affected workers and explaining the situation to them. We also advise the workers being redeployed to work near their homes if possible. This exercise demands a lot of consultation. I tried to talk to the acting director about the matter. He was unco-operative to say the least. I then got in touch with the director of ministry management. He appeared shocked. What roads is doing to its workers has made us angry. They did not take our advice at all, when I talked to the acting director especially,' Motshwarakgole said.

The new technology to be introduced by the department of roads will completely replace the manual system. For example, the computer operated traffic numerator at Dibete can count vehicles and check weight and is perfect compared to the manual system.

The workers to be replaced by the new technology told Mmegi early this week that the news was broken to them at a meeting addressed by chief road engineer Tom Moilwa on July 15. They were told to surrender all government property and start looking for new jobs or where they can be transferred by the beginning of August.

Most of the workers are on B5 and B4 scales. They say they have been enjoying lucrative pay over the years as their job entitled them to a committed allowance of about P2,000. The workers say their future is bleak as they were told at the July 15 meeting that they would have been transferred to new posts with their scales by August 1.

Ntona Rakhudu, who has been a traffic numerator for 20 years told Mmegi that he does not know what kind of job he can do 'after doing this job for 20 years. What can I do other than counting cars at this age? My body is not fit for physically demanding jobs. Over the years, I worked all over the country as a traffic numerator. I have been to Gantsi, Mahalapye, Kanye and Molepolole,' Rakhudu said.

Thokolo Ramotswetla says he cannot stand the salary cut. 'It was consistent all these years. Even at the banks they knew how much we earn, and some of us got bank loans on the basis of our accumulative income. Now I am a poor man, very poor,' he said in reference to the P2,000 committed allowance.

Edwin Molatole told Mmegi their hope lies in the outcome of the efforts of the manual workers union. 'We ran to Motshwarakgole and he told us the department is sorry that they took the decision without consulting the union first. But nothing is happening as you see. We are loitering. Every morning, we go to roads offices to do nothing,' he said.
The workers say they were ordered to come to Gaborone since their jobs will be taken over by computers.

'But there is no accommodation, housing is expensive here, especially after our salaries were slashed. Most of us who were based in Gaborone gave notices to our land lord when we heard that we will be posted to different jobs by August 1. Now we have nowhere to stay,' an angry Ramotswetla said.

Molatole said upon hearing that they will have to look for jobs, some of them found vacancies at the Ministry of Agriculture offices in Molepolole. Bu when they came to report so that they can be transferred, their bosses refused. 'They now say our transfers must be within the parent ministry,' Molatole added.

The workers told Mmegi they do not know whom to go to, as all senior managers at the department of roads do not want to meet them. 'It is like we do not have bosses now. Even Moilwa does not want to see us, yet he is the one who broke the news to us. We are not surprised nonetheless. All along, we have been working like we do not have bosses.

We would usually assign ourselves responsibilities,' said Thabo Kebalefetse, another numerator based in Gaborone.

The chief roads engineer, Moilwa refused to answer questions on the subject and referred queries to the Permanent Secretary or the ministry spokesman. They had not responded to any of the questions by press time.