The government is moving to reduce the size of the public service through a phased early exit voluntary separation programme targeting thousands of employees across salary bands.
The programme, branded the Leadership Transformation Programme, is being challenged over claims that it amounts to a workforce reduction exercise that should have been negotiated with public sector unions rather than merely subjected to consultation.
According to the documents, Phase 1 covers employees on salary bands E to F, Phase 2 employees on salary bands D to E and Phase 3 employees on salary bands A, B and C.
At the centre of the dispute is a voluntary separation project described by government as a strategic component of the Leadership Transformation Programme, intended to support “leadership renewal, organizational transformation, and workforce optimization” while providing eligible employees with a structured and voluntary exit.
Documents filed in the dispute show that the programme is being rolled out in phases, beginning with employees on salary bands E to F followed by lower salary bands.
According to the documents, Phase 1 covers employees on salary bands E to F, Phase 2 employees on salary bands D to E and Phase 3 employees on salary bands A, B and C.
The government has indicated that Phase 1 is expected to be completed by the end of October 2026, while the second and third phases will follow, with the final phase expected to be completed by the end of the 2026/27 financial year.
The programme has triggered a dispute over whether government can proceed without negotiating with workers’ representatives.
The union argues that the programme is effectively an early exit and workforce reduction policy and therefore falls within an existing framework negotiated between government and organised labour. Court documents show that the dispute dates back more than two decades.
A task force comprising representatives of both parties was subsequently established to facilitate negotiations. The issue was discussed at further meetings on July 28, September 26 and November 25, 2003, eventually culminating in the Botswana Public Service Early Exit Policy of December 2008.
According to the documents, at the 104th National Joint Industrial Coordinating Committee meeting on June 27, 2003, government indicated its intention to introduce an Early Exit Policy for the public service.
The policy was intended to provide procedures and a compensation formula in the event government needed to undertake a staff reduction programme.
A task force comprising representatives of both parties was subsequently established to facilitate negotiations. The issue was discussed at further meetings on July 28, September 26 and November 25, 2003, eventually culminating in the Botswana Public Service Early Exit Policy of December 2008.
The union argues that the policy became part of the conditions of service of public employees it represents.
Under the policy, workforce reduction can arise from circumstances including “the cessation of a function which may result in either a reduction or abolition of an office” and “the introduction of technologies and working practices” that may affect the number, skills or competencies of employees.
The policy also defines voluntary early exit as a situation where employees may leave the public service if they so wish, subject to approval by the employer.
The documents state that when government decides there is a need to reduce its workforce, it must notify affected employees and their representatives and provide information necessary for an effective consultation process.
But the latest programme appears to go further than the original policy, according to the union. The documents state that the current programme differs from the 2008 Early Exit Policy in its stated objectives and because it also applies to contract employees.
“The bottom line, however, is that at the end of the day it intended to reduce the number of government employees,” the union argues.
The programme was initially presented to civil servants at position levels E2 and above with the voluntary separation project described as a mechanism for leadership renewal, organisational transformation and workforce optimisation. It also sets out eligibility criteria, the separation package, application procedures, management structures and arrangements following separation.
The union now argues that the programme deals directly with the terms and conditions of employment of its members and therefore should go through the collective bargaining framework.
The dispute escalated after organised labour objected to the programme. Following the outcry, the Minister for State President, Defence and Security Moeti Mohwasa held a meeting with the unions. This resulted in the suspension of the Leadership Transformation Programme by letter dated July 13, 2026.
However, the standoff was not resolved. At a subsequent meeting on July 16, government and unions remained divided over whether the programme constituted a matter for negotiation or consultation.
The parties eventually reached a deadlock and issued a joint statement on July 29 recording their divergent positions and failure to reach consensus.
On August 6, 2026, government announced that it had decided to implement the Leadership Transformation Programme.
The union now argues that the programme deals directly with the terms and conditions of employment of its members and therefore should go through the collective bargaining framework.
“Any attempt by the respondent to seek to implement the policy without first negotiating with the applicant constitutes a breach of the Memorandum of Agreement,” the union states.
