Once bitten, twice shy!
BOFEPUSU remains politically nonaligned in this year’s general election
Boisterous, perhaps even adventurous - that was the Botswana Federation of Public, Private and Parastatal Sector Unions ( BOFEPUSU) - ahead of the 2019 general election.
Buoyed by its numbers, and the electrifying, yet deceptive mood of a looming regime change, the federation, boasting 14 affiliate members both from public, private and parastatals sector, threw down the gauntlet and joined the fray on the side of the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change against the Botswana Democratic Party ( BDP).
The less said about the results, the better, this notwithstanding accusations of massive electoral fraud and cheating levelled against the BDP by UDC at the time, which were hastily disposed of via legal technicalities at court.
Well, it seems BOFEPUSU will not dare enter the lion’s den twice. The federation will be going for its governing council later this year at which the issue of general elections will be discussed and resolved by members.
Chances are that a ‘ Workers’ Manifesto’ will be thrashed out at the governing council to guide workers on how to approach political party Manifestos in the exercise of their franchise. But even then, the federation’s President, Gotlamang Oitsile is unequivocal about their position in the country’s general election.
“Until changed by the relevant structure, the 2019 position of non- alignment still holds,” Oitsile told Botswana Guardian in an interview.
He emphasised that the major interest of the federation as a ‘ labour centre’, is to advocate for the better working conditions of workers and their welfare in the country regardless of the political organisation in power.
The country’s labour centres – BOFEPUSU and the Botswana Federation of Trade Unions ( BFTU) – must navigate a long haul if they desire to emulate the South African Congress of Trade Unions ( SACTU), which is part of the tripartite alliance with the African National Congress and South Africa’s Communist Party ( SACP).
BOFEPUSU’s nonalignment stance however, does not prevent it from actively carrying out its civic duty. Oitsile advised that as an important stakeholder in “nurturing our democracy”, they continue to make calls to workers to register to vote in large numbers for this year’s general election.
Indeed, the federation is not indifferent to what obtains in local politics and insists that political party funding is essential for democracy. Oitsile said that since independence, Botswana has unparalleled praise from different scholars for its democratic credentials despite the “substantial inequalities” obtaining in the political space.
He says that research has shown that political parties require financial resources to perform their functions in our democracy and they need to be funded by the public.
He described the announcement made by the Finance Minister Peggy Serame earlier this year that political parties will henceforth be funded, as a “welcome development for furtherance of our democratic resolve altogether”. He said political party funding is an old debate that has been ongoing in our political sphere and expressed hope that the money will be shared proportionately to the political parties using international benchmarks.
“We are also hopeful that the parties themselves will use the funds appropriately. Additionally, there has to be accountability in the political organisations themselves as they are now being entrusted with public funds,” Oitsile advised. BOFEPUSU sits on the Minimum Wage Board and is represented by its President, Oitsile who is appointed by the Minister of Labour and Home Affairs.
Asked why he would agree to sit on a Board that determines the statutory minimum wage for the un- unionised members of the private and parastatal sectors, and even benefit from a hefty sitting allowance, Oitsile explained, with respect to the latter, that the issue of allowance is “normal in the country” as board members are entitled to sitting allowance across all different board structures even where the federation is not represented.
In response to the first part, Oitsile said that it is common cause that rule setting in the labour relations spectrum is reserved for organised labour, thus, consultations should happen through the formal structures of social dialogue, normally in a tripartite format.
“We therefore represent even those that are unorganised. Therefore, we are the legitimate members of the Minimum Wage Board because the cadres that are catered by minimum wage, domestic workers are members of the federation in good standing. As the federation we are fully aware of the challenges that they are going through like any other workers in this country,” he said.
Domestic workers are among some of the workers affiliated to the federation under Botswana Domestic and Allied Workers Union ( BODAU). However, Oitsile confirmed that there still exists a sizeable number of workers in the informal sector that are not members.
“As a federation we have programmes geared towards empowering our affiliates
leadership on various matters, including organising the unorganized,” he said.