BGI employees reject 5% salary hike
Botswana Geoscience Institute (BGI) employees are challenging the five percent salary increase declared recently by the employer saying the pay hike is a mere token that fails to address their longstanding calls for a better pay.
The contested salary increase was declared at the beginning of January this year and backdated to April 2023. It is the first pay hike at BGI since 2017.
The increase has been met with a lot of trepidation from the workforce who feel that five percent is too modest and does not align to the high cost of living which has been rising annually for the past six years during which BGI staff salaries have not been adjusted.
The employees said they were expecting that any salary adjustment would have considered the fact that every year for six years government had been granting a three percent inflationary adjustment to its employees while the salaries of BGI employees had stagnated.
Their concern is further exacerbated by a history of employee grievances ranging from undisclosed salary structures to accusations of mismanagement and misappropriation of public funds.
“The five percent salary increase announced recently by BGI management is coming too little too late. We feel it is unreasonable and not informed by scientific evidence,” said a source at BGI. The source added that since its transformation from the Department of Geological Survey, BGI has faced a number of internal challenges, amongst them a staff exodus which has seen 37 of 120 employees leaving for better opportunities in a short space of time.
“When the employment contract of the former CEO ended, employees were hopeful that the incoming CEO would bring positive changes to BGI, unfortunately nothing has changed as the status quo remains and staff morale is at an all-time low,” said an employee.
Another said calls by employees for increased salaries were in the past turned down by management, adding that low salaries were not the only concerns as the employees have filed grievances of unfair labour practice with the courts of law and the District Labour Office in Gaborone. The source said other concerns revolved around employee pensions.
Sources also revealed that with only two board members remaining and the rest refusing contract renewals, BGI currently lacks a functioning board.
There are also concerns that with BGI heavily reliant on government funding the ongoing institutional review and restructuring at BGI may result in staff lay-offs and possibly those offloaded leaving empty handed despite years of long service. Sources cite the absence of separation pay and secondment allowances for employees when BGI transitioned from Department of Geological Survey as a real possibility that might befall them in the ongoing institutional review.
Another troubling development for BGI staff is the alleged mishandling of staff pensions, with allegations of mis-selling by Botswana Life. Employees have lodged a case with the Non Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority (NBFIRA) Tribunal regarding this.
In response, BGI CEO, Puso Akanyang acknowledged the concerns of the employees but would not be drawn into discussing the details.
“The five percent salary adjustment was a result of negotiations with BOPEU, the recognised union representing the employees. Importantly, the adjustment mirrors a similar one awarded {to} all other government employees, not the reported three percent,” stated Akanyang.
On the salary structure concerns, Akanyang said, “BGI values the concerns raised and assures stakeholders that the institute has a robust internal process of addressing employee grievances.
The process is currently ongoing, this should demonstrate the Institute’s commitment to resolving workplace issues promptly.”
Regarding disparities in salary increases, Akanyang said, “While salary structures may vary according to organisational mandates, BGI encourages enquiries to be lodged with relevant offices for a comprehensive understanding. The Institute remains committed to fair and competitive remuneration practices.”