Botswana: Nation's Civil Servants' Strike

10 May 2011
Thoughts from Botswana (Botswana)
blog

The civil service in Botswana, numbering over 90,000 employees, have been on strike since April 18. Despite raging inflation in the country of about 11%, for four years civil servants have had no wage adjustment.

Enough was enough. The unions asked for a 16% increase and our President, in a misguided move in a country founded on consultation, chose not to meet with them. He went on to criticise the government employees for asking for a wage increase during hard economic times. One wonders why during those same hard economic times he chose to refurbish the statehouse at extravagant expense and establish his pet project, the spy unit, DIS.

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