He shared his concern at the recent triennial congress of the Botswana Land Board and Local Authorities and Health Workers (BLLAHWU) that was held at Adansonia Hotel.
Kereteletswe said it is the government's wish that the relationship between the employer and trade unions should be cordial and punctuated by mutual respect for the benefit of the nation. “DPSM takes full ownership of improving how it works with trade unions... I have a firm belief that a lot is still going to happen. Power does not lie with the government.
Power lies with you since you are the government... You must not abuse yourselves, you must stand up for what you believe is the truth,” Kereteletswe said. He added that President Mokgweetsi Masisi is hell-bent on the DPSM and unions having a healthy relationship.
Kereteletswe, therefore, added that the DPSM must “walk the talk and execute its mandate as expected”.
He said that it is worrying that currently there are 9,000 labour cases between the employer and unions registered at the courts across the country. According to Kereteletswe, some of the disputes between employers and unions can be best solved through social dialogue and not necessarily through the courts. “If you see people taking the court route, it means that there is a problem.
Currently, there are 9,000 cases in the courts between the employer and trade unions. This shows that there is something wrong with the leadership. We are not going to allow that. We will take responsibility.
Where we are wrong, we are wrong,” Kereteletswe said. He reiterated that it was the government's wish to see a happy and motivated workforce that will fully serve its mandate for the public good.
