CEDA fat cats splash money on Masa hotel

The Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) employees’ Union is planning to boycott the agency’s Christmas party unless they members receive salary increase and bonuses urgently.

A leaked letter seen by this publication paints a gloomy picture of  a disgruntled staff at CEDA whose welfare issues are not attended to.
CEDA Chief Executive Officer, Thabo Thamane appears to have not taken kindly to Unions demand and wrote a strong worded letter on December 8 that has been passed on to Botswana Guardian that he look “forward to the presence of every CEDA employee at the event this coming Friday.”

But a Union source confirmed that the boycott was at an advance stage because management is failing to reward employees after assessment. “After every financial year there is employees’ performance reviews for each employee after which each employee is rewarded according to his/her rating.
The reviews are usually done in February and March and employees usually get their monetary rewards in May and June said the source. Another source corroborated the claim and vented angrily that as employees they are of the view that CEDA is taking its workers for granted.

“CEDA will be paying for transport, accommodation and food at Lansmore where employees will sleep after the party. The party will be at Masa rooftop on Friday. The total amount expected to be spent at the posh hotel has not been disclosed, but a source with intimate knowledge of what promises to be a plush party, said CEDA will “surely fork in excess of P150 000.00.”

The source said there are four grades at CEDA, A, B, C and D. “Those who score A grade are rewarded with 8 percent of their salary, those with B are given 6 percent of their salary, C grade attracts 2 percent while those who obtain D grade go home with nothing.The source said that they are not fighting for Christmas bonuses because those are the discretion of the management. “It is there in the condition of services that each employee will be rewarded according to how they performed during the year.

The review is based on targets sets for each employee. Our year ends in March and we expected rewards to have long been given to employees. “There has never been commitment on the part of the management assuring employees that their dues will be given to them on specific date” the source said. CEDA Employee’s Union president, Oupa Sebata could not confirm or deny. “We are in consultation with our management over many issues and there is nothing I can share with the media.” The Union has 200 members while the organisation has close to 300 employees. CEDA union is affiliate of Botswana Federation of Trade Union (BFTU)

CEDA Head of Marketing, Anno Tshipa said "performance bonus is not a staff entitlement and all CEDA staff understand that. It is a bonus that is given at the discretion of the Board, based on performance of the organisation and affordability."With regard to Christmas celebrations, she said the event is not mandatory and it is normally expected that some members do not attend for whatever reasons.