As talk is abound that Botswana's two labour federations, the Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) and Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU) are willing to talk and possibly merge and speak with one powerful voice, Mmegi staffer RYDER GABATHUSE investigates the thinking inside the two federations
FRANCISTOWN: "Workers are aware that they stand to lose if they are not united," declares BFTU Secretary General, Gadzani Mhotsha in an interview with Mmegi on Wednesday evening.
During the recent eight-week public sector strike, BFTU was just there and could not assist fellow trade unionists in the public sector as a lot of workers in the private and parastatals sectors could not join in solidarity with them.
They needed a go-ahead from the strikers' leadership. BOFEPUSU was pressing government to award public servants 16 percent salary increment.
As an endeavour for BFTU to get first information about the public sector unions strike, they invited BOFEPUSU to a meeting, which Mhotsha says was attended amongst others by secretary for labour Johnson Motshwarakgole, publicity secretary Goretetse Kekgonegile and central committee member Topias Marenga.
"We had asked the BOFEPUSU leadership to brief us on the strike and how we could assist if there was a need to do so," explained Mhotsha and added: "They told us that they would instead give us documents and we would get the story of the strike from them and that when we did not understand then we would reach them." The meeting lasted about 10 minutes.
In his view, BFTU represents almost every worker in the country and it is not a sectoral federation. Mhotsha says that besides experience that BFTU has amassed it sits on the Labour Advisory Board, NEMIC, HLCC and its subsidiaries.
"We go out there to represent the interests of every worker. We are an affiliate of International Trade Union Federation, we are part of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) system and Southern African Trade Union Coordinating Council (SATUCC) and in fact, we have connections."
BFTU sits in many forums, which it utilizes to voice workers' concerns.
"We always wanted to be part of the recent public sector strike and our belief has always been that when a federation like BOFEPUSU embarks on a strike of the recent one's magnitude they are supposed to have taken us on board."
Mhotsha asserts that BFTU has much experience on issues of collective bargaining. "We have good and bad experiences. We could have guided them as to how they should have dealt with the strike effectively." He just wishes BFTU could have been involved so that BOFEPUSU could have maximised its strength.
Amongst others, BFTU has experience with the issue of essential services given the case of the 461 Debswana fired employees.
At the end of the day, BFTU has just one wish: To see workers of Botswana united and speaking with one powerful voice so that employers can deal with workers sincerely.
As it stands now, some of the BOFEPUSU members were formerly members of BFTU and the departure of the trade unions has also left a huge financial hole in BFTU coffers.
Mhotsha believes that the two federations should know what they really stand for individually and identify what can bring them together and duly forge a relationship urgently.
'Our intention is to have one centre, but I don't know what BOFEPUSU could be thinking of as we are yet to sit and present these issues for the benefit of the labour movement."
Presenting a case in which BFTU came to the assistance of BOFEPUSU, Mhotsha stated that since BFTU sits in the LAB, "we were aware of the Minister of Labour and Home Affairs Peter Siele's intended to do as regards classifying teaching, and veterinary as essential services and we informed BOFEPUSU about the position of government which helped us to work together to ensure that the motion was defeated in Parliament."
BFTU was able to assist BOFEPUSU by making presentations to MPs and other important stakeholders on the classification of the schedule of essential services. Mhotsha is of the strongest belief that if the two federations worked together, they could benefit even more.
"Besides informal talk that if we could work closely together we could reap benefits of such collaboration, nothing much has been done about establishing a relationship," says Mhotsha.
He says BFTU has resolved to approach BOFEPUSU "formally" and come up with ways they could start working with them.
BFTU believes, "as a national centre, it is our mandate to ensure that workers are united and it will only be a matter of looking at our schedule as BFTU leadership and in less than three weeks we will be initiating this long overdue meeting."
There is one thing that keeps on giving Mhotsha hope: " When we dealt with the issue of essential services, we really worked together including the subsequent drafting of the letters to the MPs for their support."
He also recognises the fact that the public sector unions are more organised as they have one employer unlike workers in both the private sector and parastatals.
BOFEPUSU Secretary General Andrew Motsamai said, "We have had informal talks with our comrades from BFTU," adding that when they were dealing with the government move to classify the education sector as essential services, they worked closely with the BFTU leadership.
"We worked together and came up with a common goal. In fact, the BOFEPUSU leadership met last week Thursday and the report I got was that the executive raised an issue of cooperation and collaborations to ensure that we pull together as workers going forward," he explains.
Motsamai holds a view that minute issues should not be allowed to divide workers when they have so much to gain once they are united. Prior to BOFEPUSU leadership resolution to open talks for cooperation with BFTU, Motsamai emphasises that the two federations have had informal talks over various matters of mutual concern.
" Now what is left is to meet the BFTU leadership and try to crystallise everything.
Now that BOFEPUSU leadership has met, what is left is for us to formalise the invitation to BFTU."
BOFEPUSU and BFTU are going to meet at a time when the latter has lodged a case with the courts seeking to de-register the former on the basis that the registration with the Registrar of Trade Unions was unlawful.
In fact, it's apparent that BFTU is still fuming after unions, which were its affiliates, dumped them to join the newly registered BOFEUSU. Botswana Teachers Union (BTU), Botswana Land Boards, Local and Health Workers Union (BLLAHWU), Manual Workers and Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) with a membership estimated at over 64,000 are former members of BFTU.
In his own admission, Mhotsha of BFTU says that the departure of the four trade unions has badly affected BFTU's subscription fees as affiliates paid dues to the federation. Just yesterday, the BFTU case seeking to deregister BOFEPUSU was on before the courts and now the labour movement is waiting with baited breath to see if the latest developments will influence BFTU to change heart and withdraw the case or what.
BFTU is arguing that BOFEPUSU has not registered properly with the registrar of trade unions.
On the other hand, BOFEPUSU has been steadfast that it really has no business to deregister but if issues of non-compliance are raised, BOFEPUSU will comply and go on with life and they are not ready to disband.
Motsamai, who is also the president of Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU), says if other people can admire what public sector unions have achieved through the umbrella body, "why should we abandon the model of cooperation?" 
