Botswana orders strikers back to work
"We are saying no to the conditions set by the unions. The strike has consequences and it is something that they knew and must accept. They must just go back to work," said Festinah Bakwena, head of the public service directorate
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ivwSDxhsAfc5oFHzViMt3cSNAfCQ?docId=CNG.3fe18ab5af9d3cb2bd07a5efa1d18035.5c1
The strike has caused a fissure in the ruling party.
Tawana drops bombshell: I quit BDP
Commenting on the Cabinet ministers' address on the ongoing civil servants strike, Moremi said it showed the BDP has lost 'moral authority'. He said the Khama leadership constantly clings on to the Constitution to take decisions not good for the party. Moremi said the landmark constitutional case where Gomolemo Motswaledi and Khama squared off in court, as an example of how the law has been used to stifle democracy.
http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=1&aid=1320&dir=2011/June/Wednesday1
The government's intractability keeps the union out on strike.
Botswana, Union Leaders Fail to Agree on Terms, Strike Continues
There is lack of respect on the part of the government that has just developed and we cannot take that,” Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions spokesperson, Goretetse Kekgonegile said by phone today.
“The strike will therefore continue until we meet as union leadership to map a way forward sometime today,” Kekgonegile said
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-06-01/botswana-union-leaders-fail-to-agree-on-terms-strike-continues.html
Meanwhile, international capital stands behind its man in Botswana.
Botswana's Economy Is Back on Strong Growth Path, IMF Says
The government must continue efforts to reduce its large state wage bill, it said.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/06/01/bloomberg1376-LM3UN66S972D01-6L1533P6IPQ3ATFO3U5AHIMNAO.DTL
The clergy intervenes
Strike : now divine intervention
It urged the government to re-consider its approach from the point of view of paying wider attention to social justice and narrowing the income disparities in Botswana.
http://gazettebw.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9859:strike-now-divine&catid=18:headlines&Itemid=2
