More job losses looming
BCP uncomfortable with PERMANDU Report implementation in July Govt urged to revisit 5% public servants’ salary increase
Botswana Congress Party ( BCP) says while it applauds the conclusion of public servants’ salary negotiations, it is concerned that as a nation reeling from a depressed economy with the cost of living shooting through the roof, workers only got a paltry five percent increase.
BCP Labour Secretary Daisy Bathusi said the question that immediately came to mind was to what extent this five percent can mitigate the effects of depressed salaries.
As the BCP they would like to urge the parties, especially the government to revisit the five percent salary adjustment during their mid- year reviews with the possibility of exploring options of revising the increment to a much more meaningful amount.
Bathusi said it is a common cause to believe that as the year progresses the purchasing power of most citizens will continue to erode, more so with the war in Europe, which poses potential threats not only to the price of fuel but also to Botswana’s main contributor to GDP, diamonds, thereby resulting in increased inflation and higher cost of living.
She said their position is that “we would most likely actualise our turnaround strategy much faster and more cost- effectively with a committed and motivated workforce than if we maintain the status quo as is.”
The labour secretary said the BCP has also noted that the Unions have signed on to the implementation of PEMANDU commencing in July 2022.
They are concerned that, though this remuneration report presents attractive, holistic improved conditions of service, especially in line with parallel progression and removing stagnations, it however comes at a cost of possible job losses.
She explained that the model is very much premised on a leaner civil service, with very few prospects of stimulation of employment opportunities as evident from the government and private sector.
Further, there will be no room to dispose off the trimmings from the civil service, as it becomes lean except into the unemployment pool. “To this effect, we are appealing to the public sector workers unions to approach this matter with extreme caution lest the subsequent losses far outweigh gains, more so since economies of scale in collective bargaining are a critical factor which could be compromised if the unions lose members,” she said this week.
According to Bathusi, even from an employer’s perspective, a leaner civil service may seem more attractive and appealing with the promise of better service delivery and efficiencies, but is it really a wise decision at this point in time?
The country, she said, has still to recover from not only massive job losses but losses of critical economic players in terms of human resources and private businesses which never recovered post- Covid.
“Surely the public service would not want to be seen to compound this existing problem, which we still have to contend with. We would therefore like to appeal to all parties that in their implementation strategy of the PEMANDU remuneration report recommend that they be mindful to ensure that there are no job losses from public services emanating from this exercise,” explained Bathusi.
She said the BCP recommends that at the very least, if there is indeed a potential risk, the implementation be delayed until such a time that there is confidence all around that the excess will all be absorbed and redeployed elsewhere.