Comment: Masisi must walk the talk by resuscitating PSBC

The bad blood between Government and the Trade Unions has gone on for far too long. It is surprising that three years down the line since President Mokgweetsi Masisi promised to resuscitate the Public Service Bargaining Council ( PSBC) nothing is happening on the ground.

It seems government’s plan is to kill PSBC which goes to show the extent of the animosity that Government harbours against Trade Unions.

Trade unions are accusing the Directorate of Public Service

Management ( DPSM) or the employer of delay tactics and disinterest in seeing the Council established. Nothing much has however been done in the past years for the PSBC which was deregistered by government.

Governments are mandated by the International Labour Organisation ( ILO) to see to it that machinery for collective bargaining is functional. Immediately after assuming the Presidency, Masisi promised that the PSBC will be functional by the end of the year, but up to now there are no signs of the

Council coming into place.

Government is just dragging its feet on the issue.

Interestingly Government has signed and ratified the International Labour Conventions ( ILO) that guarantee the freedom of association; protection of workers’ rights as well as collective bargaining but on the other hand is doing the exact opposite.

Government has adopted a hostile attitude towards Unions since the 2011 public service strike. This was during Ian

Khama’s presidency. By the looks of things President Masisi is following on his predecessor’s footsteps as his government continues to deliberately frustrate the work of the PSBC.

Despite the existence of a PSBC, which is created by the Public Service Act, – itself an Act of Parliament – Government has continued to disregard and bypass this structure ( PSBC) on matters relating to collective bargaining.

Unions have declared a dispute at Labour on a matter to be heard on the 19th October 2022, where if there is no settlement, they are likely to head to Court. The Unions argue that Government is failing to put in place labour institutions, something which has weakened or worsened industrial relations in the country.

Trade Unions further argue that President Masisi’s administration has done nothing to improve industrial relations particularly institutions or structures.

President Masisi should walk the talk and resuscitate the PSBC as promised.