Africa-Press – Botswana. The Botswana Mine Workers Union used this year’s commemoration of Workers’ Day to express its frustration over inaccessibility of the President and his ministers that is all the more disconcerting because of the UDC’s express commitment to agility and accessibility.
The Botswana Mine Workers Union (BMWU) has criticised “inaccessibility” of President Duma Boko and his ministers for critical engagements on labour issues.
In an interview on the sidelines of the commemoration of Workers’ Day (1st May) in Francistown recently, the president of BMWU, Joseph Tsimako,
lamented that despite the UDC government’s stated agility and accessibility, the reality on the ground paints a different picture.
Bureaucratic roadblocks
He said efforts to engage senior government officials have repeatedly hit bureaucratic roadblocks inspite of the promise to be more agile and responsive than the previous government.
“Union leadership should not be seen as enemies of the government but rather as people who have the welfare of workers at heart and want to contribute immensely to the economy,” Tsimako noted.
“To our surprise, when we try to arrange meetings with ministers, we are often directed to their private secretaries who in turn tell us that an audience can only be secured after an extended waiting period.
“This is deeply concerning, especially for union leadership representing thousands of workers whose grievances require timely resolution.”
Direct dialogue
Tsimako stressed that the government is fully aware that unions act as the voice of the people, particularly in the mining sector where labour-related disputes can seriously affect productivity and social stability.
He urged the government to remove existing communication barriers and to prioritise direct dialogue with union leaders. “The government should facilitate rather than frustrate these engagements,” he said. “Delays only worsen the problems on the ground.”
He called on the government to establish a formal platform to ease access to the country’s leaders, particularly the President and cabinet ministers.
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