BURS to hire Consultant to realign organisation

BOPEU unhappy with process, wants to approach court BOPEU accuses BURS of lack of transparency, demands Terms of Reference Union fears members will lose jobs

Botswana Unified Revenue Services ( BURS) is yet to procure a consultant to conduct its organisational structure realignment. As part of its strategy implementation, the agency is currently conducting an organisational structure realignment. BURS Commissioner General Jeanette Makgolo stated that they are in the process of appointing a consultant. She said the process to procure a consultant has been slow due to legal issues. “We expect that by February this year we should have secured the resources. We are hopeful that the process will run accordingly. On the issue of job losses, I cannot say whether there will be or not because here we are dealing with realignment and not restructuring. As part of our Terms of Reference, we will also be carrying out a skills audit,” the Commissioner General said. According to Makgolo, in terms of their staff compliment they only have a handful of employees who do not have higher education qualifications. “We are realigning so that we can give services effectively,” she added. Makgolo explained that BURS has departments with overlapping responsibilities, some overloaded with staff, while others are understaffed. BURS Board Chairperson, Dr. Lesedi Senatla stated that an organisation that is inflexible throughout its existence ultimately becomes a shadow of itself, indeed a monument. He said BURS operates in a fluid environment be it technology wise, environmental or economic, new forms of non- compliance among others. “Thus, we need an agile Revenue Service in order to live up to expectations or fulfil our mandate. The diagnostics reports also indicated a need for this organisational tweaking. “It is one thing to do what you are duty- bound to do and quite another to communicate it effectively so that there is no misunderstanding. We will continue to engage you as we implement our strategy so that you are on board about the big picture,” he explained.

Dr. Senatla stated that in the end, it is efficiency and effectiveness of their service provision that they are ironing out. He emphasised that they stand ready to keep stakeholders updated on what BURS does, and its communication will always be within the provisions of the statutes that govern the agency’s mandate. BURS by nature of its business, is a custodian of taxpayer information which should be handled with utmost confidentiality, he added.

In November last year Botswana Public Employees Union ( BOPEU) revealed that it has taken a decision to take BURS to court for deteriorating labour relations. BOPEU President Masego Mogwera stated that BOPEU and BURS had a good working relationship that was enviable to most, if not all, Parastatals. However, the good labour relations ended following a change of management at BURS. According to Mogwera the relationship is now characterised by lack of transparency. The union leader stated that management is unwilling to disclose Transition documents and the Terms of Reference for consultancy services. BOPEU fears that with the secrecy surrounding the restructuring process by the taxman, its members are at risk of losing their jobs. The union wants to know in detail about the terms of reference for the consultant who is undertaking the job. Mogwera indicated that the management of BURS is dealing with them in bad faith. She explained that due to the unhealthy behaviour between the two, the union has decided to approach the court for recourse. BURS have been accused of planning to lay off some of its employees under the ongoing restructuring process.