Africa-Press – Botswana. The conduct of two union leaders who spoke out of turn at the BDP elective congress in Maun over the weekend has led to concerns about political neutrality of the labour movement.
A storm is brewing within Botswana’s labour movement following controversial remarks by the Secretary General of the Botswana Federation of Public, Private and Parastatal Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU), Robert Rrabasimane, at the just-ended Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) congress in Maun.
The Botswana Land Boards, Local Authorities and Health Workers Union (BLLAHWU) and the Botswana Nurses Union (BONU) have publicly distanced themselves from Rrabasimane’s remarks that appeared to praise the BDP and hinted at hopes for its political resurgence.
In a solidarity message delivered to the BDP congress, Rrabasimane stated that “the workers and Batswana are watching with interest for the BDP to bounce back and take where they had left them as workers”.
“Personal and unmandated”
It is this remark that is seen by critics as a thinly-veiled endorsement of the former ruling party that is now in opposition after 59 consecutive years in power.
BLLAHWU swiftly issued a hard-hitting statement condemning the remarks and labelling them as “personal and unmandated” by the federation’s constitutional structures.
“By insinuating that he had been given a message by the workers to deliver at the said congress, the Secretary General was clearly being economical with the truth,” reads the BLLAHWU statement released on Tuesday.
Historically inaccurate
The union argued that Rrabasimane’s remarks were not only misleading but also historically inaccurate because BDP governments have presided over decades of poor working conditions, labour suppression and worsening income inequalities.
“Infact, it is the working class that stood up and ensured that the BDP regime is removed from power,” the statement added, dismissing Rrabasimane’s comments as an insult to the struggles of workers who fought for better governance.
BLLAHWU further warned against romanticising the BDP’s tenure, saying successive BDP governments enacted laws that favoured employers and subjected workers to exploitation, making Botswana one of the countries with the highest income inequality.
Not to be praised
The union also took exception to Rrabasimane’s commendation of former president Mokgweetsi Masisi for conceding defeat, saying a peaceful transfer of power is a constitutional obligation and not a favour to be praised.
BONU also found itself on the defensive after its president, Peter Baleseng, was seen chanting BDP slogans during the congress. However, Baleseng subsequently denied any intention to endorse the BDP and insisted that BONU remains apolitical.
Speaking in an interview, he admitted that the message he delivered was not pre-approved by union leadership but said he accepted the invitation in his capacity as the elected president, trusting that members would understand the context.
Neutrality
“There was no endorsement,” he acknowledged. “It was a message of solidarity. People are misinterpreting the message. We are not aligned to any political party.”
Nevertheless, some BONU members and other people in the wider labour movement have expressed concerns that Baleseng’s behaviour could harm the union’s neutrality..
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