‘Party Manifestos Should Draw From Workers’ Charter’
The Botswana Federation of Public Private and Parastatal Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) has called on all political parties to draw from its recently launched Workers’ Charter when coming up with election manifestos in the next general elections. BOFEPUSU says its Workers’ Charter is the federation’s policy blueprint.
According to BOFEPUSU president, Johannes Tshukudu the Workers’ Charter spells out the federation’s ideological framework, policy and strategic guide in dealing with all social, economic and political matters that are core to the existence and realisation of workers’ rights and their independence as citizens of Botswana.
Tshukudu said the Workers’ Charter should ease the challenging decisions that the trade union leadership at times finds itself in when dealing with various national political and developmental questions affecting the working class in the country.
“The document shall be a trading tool, which will articulate and tabulate the working class agenda, demands and expectations from all political leadership and employers.
We, therefore, affirm that all socio-economic and political leadership that harbour the concern to collaborate or partner with the federation to emancipate the working class will have to be compelled to meet the demands and expectations spelt out in this Workers’ Charter,” Tshukudu said.
He added the charter addresses issues such as governance, health, unemployment, decent work, workers education, land, transformation of the agriculture sector, democracy development, mitigating corruption, as well as has a position on marginalised groups. “Anybody who ignores this document will be committing suicide. The charter entails what Batswana need. Pertinent issues bother citizens of this republic.
Party manifestos must draw from this document if they want to be relevant to the working class and the vulnerable,” he added. Tshukudu said the working class is confronted with the naked onslaught of neo-liberalism.