26 March 2008
Gaborone — Over 100 Selebi-Phikwe Town Council industrial class employees had a shock of their lives when they discovered that they were almost destined for a dull Easter as their salaries were not ready last Thursday.
This prompted Botswana Manual Workers Union (BMWU)to convene an urgent meeting last Thursday afternoon at Anne Adams Park with the council authorities to seek clarification. During the heated meeting, employees lashed out at the council's treasury department for poor service delivery and accused the council of having done this to deliberately hurt them.
The industrial class employees said they were shocked to discover that despite this, their permanent and pensionable colleagues were paid on time. According to the normal and usual arrangement industrial class employees get paid first. Fuming employees also lambasted treasury staff for laxity despite that they are paid overtime for processing payments on schedule. They would not entertain the excuse that the delay may have been caused by the bank. Employees also decried poor administration within the council that often compromised employees' welfare. "Let us call the bank manager to come and explain the situation. The council's treasury has got problems and the entire council is not running properly. How are we expected to go for holidays without money?" said one elderly employee.
Another employee felt there was too much laxity among treasury staff, saying the bank should not be used as a scapegoat because "the problem originates from within the council". Acting Town Clerk Cynthia Mauve tried to explain that the council had no intention to deliberately undermine its employees, as some of them seemed to think. "No one can just hold back your salaries."
At around 3pm the employees resolved that the Standard Bank manager be called to address them on what could have caused the delay in paying salaries. A team comprising employee representatives and council representatives left for the bank, leaving the rest of their colleagues anxiously hanging around the park.
In less than an hour, the delegation returned and Mahube explained that they managed to have an audience with the bank manager and they agreed that the bank would "close very late in order to help the stranded employees". She also ordered all the treasury staff to return to their offices and write out cheques for all the affected employees that were supposed to be changes at the bank the whole evening. Employees were also ordered to surrender their March salaries to the council immediately the money was deposited into their respective accounts.
Failure to surrender the salary would mean the involved would not get their April salaries. Botswana Manual Workers Union (BMWU) chairman Omponye Ditau confirmed that all the concerned employees managed to get their salaries by cheque that evening. He charged that the problem was a BLLWU plot to sabotage BMWU to win its membership. He warned members of his union to always be on the lookout.
Ditau said he convened the meeting upon receiving reports that industrial class employees had not been paid.
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