BFTU secretary-general, Thusang Butale vowed yesterday, a few days before the World Labour Day which is celebrated globally on May 1. BFTU and BOFEPUSU will hold a joint Labour Day commemoration at Sam Sono Stadium in Selebi-Phikwe.
The ceremony will be held under the theme, “Demanding workers rights and economic power”. The day will be celebrated against the backdrop of many labour disputes between government and trade unions registered at the courts.
The number of pending cases at the courts came to light in December last year in Francistown when the deputy director of the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM), Dr Omponye Kereteletswe, gave a speech during the triennial congress of the Botswana Land Board and Local Authorities and Health Workers (BLLAHWU).
Then, Kereteletswe said it was worrying that currently there are 9,000 labour cases between the employer and unions registered at the courts across the country. Kereteletswe also said some of the disputes between employers and unions can be best resolved through social dialogue and not necessarily through the courts. Meanwhile, explaining why the two federations coined the theme, Butale said federations are concerned about employers who trample upon the rights of workers both in the public, private and parastatals spaces. He also said the two federations will not rest but will forever fight and demand that rights of all workers must be enforced and enhanced.
The BFTU official also said the level of safety in some organisations was not conducive for work adding that the two federations want safety to be enhanced, enforced and improved to prevent unnecessary injuries and deaths. Butale said: “In June 2022, the International Labour Conference (ILC) decided to include “a safe and healthy working environment” in the ILO’s framework of fundamental principles and rights at work. Our two federations take the occupational health and safety issues in the working environment seriously. Occupational health and safety issues are fundamental human rights that all employers must respect.” The International Labour Organisation (ILO) believes that for economic development to be meaningful, it should include the creation of jobs and conditions in which people can work – with freedom, equity, safety, and dignity. Respect for fundamental principles and rights at work are therefore critical for human dignity. Butale also expressed concern that there are still some employers especially in the private sector who frustrate the efforts of their workers to organise and bargain.
According to the ILO, the freedom of association, the right of workers to speak out collectively about abusive treatment and conditions, to organise, join and participate in unions, and to non-violently protest and strike, is, along with the right to bargain collectively with employers, a fundamental workplace and human right. “This right is protected in international covenants, from the United Nations (UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights to ILO conventions, and by national laws in nearly all countries.
The right to speak out, organise, and negotiate with employers is a crucial enabling right that empowers workers to raise vital concerns regarding health and safety, wage-and-hour violations, and harassment and discrimination,” stated the ILO. On other matters Butale said: “BFTU and BOFEPUSU are concerned about some employers in the private sector who still deny their workers the right to organise and bargain. We will fight tooth and nail to make sure that no employee whether in the public, private or parastatal sectors is denied this fundamental workplace and human right. Some employers in the private sector also have a tendency of paying their workers’ salaries that are below the minimum wage as set out by the government.
For example, the minimum wage that a maid should be paid monthly is P1,084 but there are still some domestic servants who are still paid below that amount. We will vigorously fight against this malpractice.” Workers, Butale noted, are the creators of the wealth of the country and therefore they should be paid reasonable salaries. “Workers should be rewarded handsomely for their services. Doing so will motivate them to work more efficiently and in the process generate more profits for their employers. When the economy grows, the salaries of workers should also be increased to reflect that,” he said. Butale said the commemorations will start with a march in Selibe-Phikwe in order to create awareness about the importance of Labour Day.
He also stated that they had invited President Mokgweetsi Masisi to give a keynote address but he will not be present because of other public assignments that he will be attending in the resort city of Davos in Switzerland. Butale however, expressed confidence that the President will delegate a senior government official or minister to give a keynote address on his behalf.
He stated that they also expect the Minister of Employment, Labour Productivity and Skills Development, Director of DPSM and the Executive secretary of the Southern Africa Trade Union Co-ordinating Council (SATUCC), Mavis Koogotsitse to attend the ceremony. “We are also expecting representatives of the country’s political parties to give solidarity messages during the ceremony,” said Butale.
