The long running battle between teachers and the government over payment of overtime allowances is expected to take an ugly turn next month.
This follows a resolution taken at last week’s national consultative council of Botswana Secondary Teachers Union (BOSETU) members that teachers must stop working extra hours and performing extra mural activities by the 1st of September if government does not pay them overtime allowances as stipulated in the new Public Service Act.
The spokesperson of BOSETU, Mogomotsi Motshegwe explained that the consultative council resolved that the teachers would only work eight hours a day in accordance with a provision in the new Act which came into effect on May 1 this year.
Over the years teachers have been working extra hours including in the evenings and on weekends and further manning the schools without any monetary rewards from government. “We thought the situation would change for the better with the implementation of the new Public Service Act. More than three months after the Act came into effect the situation hasn’t changed. Our members are livid and frustrated and they want action,” stated Motshegwe.
Motshegwe accused government of lacking commitment towards improving the working conditions of the teachers. Should the teachers’ threats come to pass this would mean that they would not be available to perform most duties such as marking class exercises, conducting tutorials and workshops and participating in sporting activities. “We are entering a period in the year when students are preparing to sit their final examinations. This is the time the students need to be tutored closely and taken through revision exercises.”
Motshegwe added that while the teachers appreciate that the students are likely to suffer in the process, it is high time that the teachers stand up for their rights, adding that the union has already notified the ministry about their intentions.
Ministry of Education spokesperson Nomsa Zuze referred all inquiries from this publication to DPSM adding that the ministry is no longer the hiring authority. This week public relations officers in the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) promised to check if the correspondence from BOSETU on the issue has reached their office.
