An industrial court has ruled in favour of a Botswana union in their dispute with Botswana Railways.
The Botswana Railways Amalgamated Workers Union (Brawu) has been in dispute with the employer since 2010, when the rail operator decided to deal with numerous long-standing complaints over low pay by appointing EOH Consulting to carry out an organisational review.
The union’s legal case was that Botswana Railways had breached the terms of the collective agreement when it decided to follow the consultants’ recommendations and implement changes to the organisational structure without consulting the union. These changes would entail 147 redundancies. Brawu produced its own report in response but the employer chose not to consider it.
The court’s ruling on 18 January means that Botswana Railways must put its restructuring plans on hold while it consults with Brawu.
Gaebepe Molaodi, madam chair of Brawu, said: “We are very happy that the court has ruled in our favour. We are waiting to hear from the employer who remains silent, about getting round the table and starting talks with us. Whatever happens, we are going to fight our corner very strongly.”
The union enjoyed sustained solidarity from the ITF’s Africa office and through the ITF’s West Africa women’s email groups, of which Gaebepe is an active member.
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