- Owes workers over P7.2m in backpays
- BMC clashes with staff
- CEO bows down to pressure and resigns
- Management alleged to be mismanaging BMC
- BMC reverses summary dismissals of 5 workers
Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) owes its employees more than P7 million in backpays after the Chief executive officer made failed promises to increase staff salaries.
David Tsheboeng abruptly resigned this week following a frosty relationship with employees. There are further claims that he faced operational challenges and that he had lost control of the country’s biggest abattoir.
The Business Weekly & Review has learned that Tsheboeng had promised more than 600 BMC employees two separate allowances: a housing allowance of P1,000 per month and an abattoir allowance of P1,000 per month, effective August 2024. However, it has emerged that the CEO did not seek board approval for these allowances before informing staff, leading to confusion and frustration when employees demanded their implementation.
According to sources, when employees began pressing for the allowances to be credited to their accounts, Tsheboeng backtracked, stating that the board had yet to approve the increments. This sparked a wave of discontent among staff, culminating in a detailed petition to President Duma Boko, accusing BMC management and the board of failing to honor agreements.
The petition, seen by The Business Weekly & Review, reveals that in August 2024, Tsheboeng addressed employees, informing them that the board had resolved to award the P1,000 housing allowance and P1,000 abattoir allowance, totaling P2,000 per employee. He also informed them that the decision has been endorsed by the two unions; Botswana Public Employees Union (BOPEU) and the Botswana Meat Industry Workers Union (BMIWU).
However, by October 2024, employees approached management, demanding the implementation of these allowances, which had not been actioned.
BMC employs over 600 employees in Lobatse, Francistown and Maun. According to information seen by The Business Weekly & Review, calculating the backpays from August 2024, each employee is owed around P12000 in backpays, which adds up to P7.2 million.
According to evidence seen by this publication, two months later, BMC employees approached management in October 2024, demanding that the housing and abattoir backpay allowances be implemented as agreed.
Part of the agreed conditions of service was that allowances be incorporated into basic salaries to increase staff gross pay.
The process is defined as ‘clean pay’ which means that the allowances would be incorporated into the basic salary, resulting in an increased basic salary.
On the 29th of November 2024, BMC employees wrote to management requesting the suspension of the clean pay, saying its implementation violates the initial agreement.
The original agreement was that clean pay would be implemented after the introduction of the housing and abattoir allowances as well as other conditions of service.
In the petition, BMC employees requested management to implement the clean pay only after all requirements and agreements are met, but management did not respond to the employees.
Other conditions of service agreed upon were the introduction of medical aid of their choice and staff wellness. Staff performance appraisals and staff awards were to also be implemented. All these were intended to boost the staff morale, but it emerges BMC did not implement them.
The employees noted in their petition that they sought the assistance of the Human Resources Manager to get answers. The HR Manager discouraged them from roping in trade unions in their grievances noting that unions were too weak and inefficient and did not prioritise the interests of the employees.
Consequently, embittered BMC employees decided to engage in a peaceful demonstration with a view to pressurise management to implement the allowances. However, the matter became so tense that management called in the police. Even Lobatse Member of Parliament Kamal Jacobs came with the Police to mediate. During mediation, Tsheboeng is said to have promised to resolve outstanding matters in two weeks.
But on the 6th of December 2024, management wrote to the employees stating that their grievances and gathering were unlawful. Tsheboeng then went on leave from the 19th of December 2024 to the 20th of January 2025.
Upon his return, a meeting was held between the employees (representatives), the CEO, the HR Manager, and the area MP on the same day.
At that meeting the CEO is said to have moved the goalposts, promising employees a revised housing allowance of P500 and a revised abattoir allowance of P500. He promised to pay the employees at the end of February this year, adding that he will further advocate for the rest after the government financial year commences in April 2025.
Things then took a different turn when on Tuesday, Tsheboeng called the leader of the employee representatives, Negro Thebe to meet at Cumberland Hotel. Thebe suggested that the meeting be held in the presence of other BMC employees’ representatives. Consequently, the meeting never took place.
On Wednesday this week, Thebe was bizarrely served with a summary dismissal letter, which accused him of absconding from work, illegal gathering and insubordination.
It emerges that four other employees were dismissed under the same circumstances.
After the dismissal of the employees, Tsheboeng resigned effective Friday 31st, 2025.
A statement sent by Zibo Marobela, the BMC Board/Legal Secretary stated no reasons for the dismissal. A further probe by The Business Weekly & Review and a follow-up inquiry via email to both Marobela and the Public Relations Manager was not responded to, by press time.
Reached for comment, Tsheboeng denied that his departure was a result of the current clash with employees and management.
“In fact, I am supposed to report to my new workplace in April this year. I just wanted a couple of months to rest before the new job,” he said, adding that it is unfortunate that his resignation is being linked to the current ‘mess’ at BMC.
However, it came to light that on Thursday afternoon, the employees were re-instated to work, after the intervention of the Area MP.
