Unions for striking Botswana public service workers have accepted a 3% pay rise but will only return to work once sacked employees have been reinstated, an official said on Monday.
The government’s offer is a fraction of the union’s initial demand of 16%, aimed at ending a seven-week walk-out by about 90 000 workers.
“It is more about the value of the 3%, which is 599-million pula (about R627-million), and the way it would be distributed, because the lowest-paid staff will get an equivalent of 16%,” said Goretetse Kekgonegile, the spokesperson for Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions.
The unions had previously rejected the 3% offer, which was lower than government’s initial offer of 5%.
But the government agreed to stagger the increase so that the lowest-paid workers will receive the biggest benefit, while higher earners will take a smaller increase, according to Kekgonegile.
A date for the increase has not yet been set, and other pending issues mean the strike is still on, he added.
Two weeks ago, government imposed a “no work, no pay” policy on the strikers and fired more than 1 400 essential service workers including doctors and nurses who ignored a court order to return to work.
Unions want the sacked workers reinstated and an end to the “no work, no pay” policy.
The strike disrupted services and shut down schools and health facilities in the sparsely populated diamond-producing country.
According to the unions, public service workers had not received a salary increase in three years.
Last week President Ian Khama said the country could not afford a double-digit increase, as the economy was still recovering from a downturn.
Botswana, the world’s top diamond producer, was hard hit by the global economic crisis which resulted in a sharp decline of sales. — Sapa-AFP