Africa-Press – Botswana. The Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU) has embarked on a purging spree.
The union continues to suspend scores of its members who had filed complaints with the Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority (NBFIRA) over contentious insurance deductions.
Some union members had slapped BOPEU and its investment arm, Babereki Insurance Brokers with letters of demand to refund “us all the monies you received with immediate effect.”
At the centre of the dispute is the union leadership’s decision to instruct the government payroll to deduct P70 from each member for a compulsory Group Life Assurance policy.
In a letter dated October 4th 2023 BOPEU’s general secretary Tshepiso Mbereki informed some ‘accused’ members that “You will recall that on 2nd March 2023, you were suspended from the Union and its activities upon receipt of allegations of misconduct against you by the National Executive Committee in terms of Article 47. 4 of the BOPEU Constitution.”
“Subsequent to your suspension, a commission of inquiry was appointed to verify these allegations levelled against you in terms of Article47. 6, whereat you were given an opportunity to make representations,” said Mbereki.
Mbereki said the appointed commission submitted its report to the National Executive Committee in June and you were subsequently charged for various misconduct on the 06th July 2023.
“A three member panel was appointed in terms of Article and conducted a disciplinary hearing process which later submitted its report to the sitting National Executive Committee on the 23th September,” he said.
The Commission found some of the members “guilty on count 1 and 3 charges laid against you save for count 2 which you were not found guilty.” The National Executive Committee took the decision to suspend the said members “from the Union-in-terms of Article 49.1.2 for a period of 24 months, effective upon receipt of the correspondence.”
“Please receive this, as notification of your suspension on behalf of the National Executive Committee and be informed that you have the right to appeal this decision to the BOPEU National Appeals Board within 14 working days,” said Mbereki in his letter.
Giving a background of how the contentious insurance policy came about, Babereki Principal Officer Era Maseko explained the executive Committee (NEC) of BOPEU resolved to introduce a compulsory Group Life Assurance (GLA) designed specifically to meet members’ needs; evolving needs. He added that it was aimed at providing better insurance packages that reflect the intention to preserve the integrity of BOPEU members and ensure the subsequent security of the family members means of subsistence.
“The union made a diagnostic evaluation of the existing insurance products, and members evolving needs to develop a suitable and financially affordable insurance product for the BOPEU members at the composite group level,” said Maseko.
It is against this backdrop, Maseko said, that the GLA policy has been acquired for the BOPEU Group through Babereki Insurance Brokers underwritten by BONA Life Insurance Company with a P 70 monthly subscription. He said the policy took effect on the 1st February 2023 and offers the following benefits; for just P 70 per month, members and their families are protected with a pay-out of P 200 000 in the event of either death or permanent disability.
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