Carter Morupisi should have gone to jail - BLLAHWU
Botswana Landboards, Local Authority and Health Workers Union (BLLAHWU) President elect, Thatayaone Kesibonye has lambasted government pay structure for the underpayment of government workers.
Kesibonye, who was speaking at the union's triennial congress over the weekend in Francistown said workers remain poor despite the fact that they are employed.
"This has led to low morale which has in turn led to low productivity. The fact that the Bargaining Council is not working suggests that salaries are negotiated outside legal structures.
“There is also the problem of bad working conditions for our members. All this must change,” suggested the pint-sized union leader, who lamented the escalation of corruption in the country.
“Corruption, which has become a cancer, steals from the workers. As BLLAHWU, we need to stand up and ensure corruption stops. The poor must also stand up,” the union leader said.
He is not happy that the former Permanent Secretary to the President, Carter Morupisi was given a non-custodial sentence following his corruption case.
“The sentence was too lenient and sends a wrong message to the corrupt. Morupisi should have gone to jail. A stern warning would have sent the right message to the corrupt in general,” stated Kesibonye, who stated that gone are the days when BLLAHWU prided itself only with addressing bread and butter issues.
According to the union president, social and political issues are now fair game for the unions.
“The qualities of education and health are going down. High blood pressure medication is not available. This is deplorable as our parents are dying and we cannot remain silent over these issues.
“Poverty and unemployment must constitute the list of our concerns as unions. We are also concerned that the economy of this country is not reflected by our livelihood as it is in the hands of the few and is not distributed equitably,” noted Kesibonye, lamenting that the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer in Botswana.
Kesibonye, who stood unopposed for position of union President waxed lyrical about the near-seamless polls which he termed a true manifestation of democracy, good governance and transparency.
“We should be proud of our record as a worker-centred trade union which takes itself seriously. We are proud of the accolades we have received from our international guests who are happy about how BLLAHWU conducts its affairs including the elections.
“Our strength comes from the fact that as a serious organisation, we have a common guiding ideological stance and are committed to the emancipation of the working class, among other things,” he said.
The president-elect further praised his union, saying it is taken seriously because it is highly resourced in terms of the brains it has in its midst.
“The elections have come and gone. I hope nobody will go to court to challenge these election results. If aggrieved by anything, particularly the elections outcome, there is an internal framework to be followed. Follow the union policies in place,” Kesibonye said.
He also called upon his charges to desist from being personal and vengeful.
“We have fought in the past. It is now time to put aside personal grudges and work together so that all may see you to be solid enough to push the worker agenda. I do not want to lead a divided union. You must commit to not be divided by the employer,” said the union leader, whose organisation has experienced debilitating divisions and internal legal battles in the past.
“Nothing beats unity. Great organisations, corporate entities, parastatals invest a lot in peace and stability. They know that a stable organisation will succeed in the achievement of its goals because the leaders are focussed on the goals. My hope is that, we will, as a collective, endeavour to place the interests of the workers first,” Kesibonye said.
Union Secretary General, Ketlhalefile Motshegwa called upon the delegates to “go back to the job of addressing worker issues such as the recruitment of new members, holding of consultative meetings, as well as reports from the various structures of BLLAHWU.”