The Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) has launched an attack on Choppies Botswana over its ongoing retrenchment exercise, accusing the retail giant of betraying workers and using its much-publicised P4,000 minimum wage announcement as nothing more than a public relations gimmick.
In a statement issued this week, BOFEPUSU expressed solidarity with employees facing retrenchment, describing the company’s actions as “malicious” and “an appalling betrayal of trust.”
The federation said company officials are currently touring the country informing employees of plans to lay off staff, a move it argues exposes the hollowness of the celebrated P4,000 minimum wage initiative announced less than a year ago.
“Employees are paid in bags of food rather than in decent cash wages,” the federation said, adding that the approach lacked “any intellectual foundation.”
“Clearly, Choppies utilized the wage announcement as a public relations stunt to patronize the new regime instead of a genuine commitment to workers’ welfare,” BOFEPUSU said.
The federation went further, accusing the retailer of deceiving both workers and the public by portraying itself as a champion of government’s drive for improved minimum wages.
“The firm also deceived workers and scammed members of the public by pretending to lead government’s minimum wage urge,” the statement read.
BOFEPUSU also renewed its criticism of the “cost-to-company” model used in calculating the P4,000 package, arguing that workers were effectively compensated through food parcels and other benefits instead of receiving decent cash wages.
“Employees are paid in bags of food rather than in decent cash wages,” the federation said, adding that the approach lacked “any intellectual foundation.”
The labour body criticized the government for embracing a similar model in the public service, saying authorities have yet to explain how a minimum wage can legitimately be paid partly in kind rather than in cash.
“For this course, Choppies Botswana and the Government of Botswana are yet to bring the public into confidence on how a minimum wage may be applied partially in kind. To this duo, this absurdity is not even shameful,” BOFEPUSU stated.
According to the federation, it is difficult to believe that a company the size of Choppies could have launched the wage initiative without understanding its financial implications.
The labour movement called for decent work founded on stronger labour rights, social security, employment creation and meaningful social dialogue in both the public and private sectors.
“We refuse the urge to believe that Choppies took liberty to lead the P4,000 minimum wage campaign without a year’s foresight of cost-benefit. This was merely a patronizing strategy by the firm to conceal its reputation for union busting, exploitation and precarious contracts which government fell for out of excitement,” it said.
BOFEPUSU also noted that despite the retailer’s size, it does not have a single recognized union, which it cited as evidence of longstanding labour relations concerns.
The federation further alleged that the retrenchments may be strategically timed ahead of the commencement of the Employment and Labour Relations Act, arguing that the legislation would impose greater accountability on employers undertaking retrenchments.
“It does not come as a shock that a company of its magnitude does not have a single recognized union,” the statement added.
The labour movement called for decent work founded on stronger labour rights, social security, employment creation and meaningful social dialogue in both the public and private sectors.
“Our activism has never been premised on condoning rhetoric and hollow promises. We are mandated to continually stoke authorities out of their comfort zones and to demand greater accountability of the government towards its promises,” BOFEPUSU said.
