Vocal Union Members Sue BTC

Ex-employees case hinges on MD’s interview on Btv BTC finds unionists’ radio interview offensive The Botswana Telecommunication Corporation (BTC) is embroiled in a fresh legal battle with its former employees who were fired allegedly after they rebutted the Managing Director’s media interview. The president of Botswana Telecommunications Employees Union (BOTEU), Kewetse Busumane, and additional member of the union’s executive committee, Bantsi Masego Mothudi, have taken BTC to the Industrial Court where they allege they were dismissed in retaliation for rebutting what the Managing Director, Anthony Masunga, said an interview on Btv. [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type="show" ihc_mb_who="1,2,3,4" ihc_mb_template="1" ] In papers before court, Busumane and Mothudi also allege that they were dismissed from work for their involvement and carrying out their duties as president of BOTEU and executive member respectively. They say their dismissals were preceded by their involvement in the union’s efforts to halt BTC’s restructuring exercise, which exercise the union and its members deemed unlawful and unfair. Retrenchment exercise “On the 12 th of December 2022 following the dismissal of the employees of the Respondent, the Respondent’s Managing Director Mr Anthony Masunga attended a televised interview at Botswana Television and a radio interview whereat he told members of the public that the retrenchment exercise was concluded fairly and the union has no reservations with the process and the outcome of the exercise,” say the unionists. They state that union members were incensed and confused by remarks made by Masunga on the outcome of the retrenchment exercise because they deemed the exercise unfair and unlawful. “The members of the union then mandated their executive to echo their views on the retrenchment exercise and communicate their grievances on issues surrounding their employment and the respondent,” they say. According to the papers, in accordance with the wishes of their members, the union decided to rebut the remarks made by the Managing Director and echo the grievances of the union members. “Members of the executive committee of the union, namely, the president Mr Kewetse Busumane, the Applicant Ms. Bantsi Mothudi and Ms. Serwalo Monnatau conducted a media interview on the 15 th of December 2022 in order to echo the views of the members of the union and convey the grievances they held against the Respondent,” say the ex- employees of BTC. Suspension letters Following the interview, they state, they were served with suspension letters for allegedly contravening Clause 2.3.8 of BTC’s disciplinary policy. They were then charged with serious misconduct, willful utterances and spreading false, misleading, inflammatory, and defamatory information about BTC and disclosure of sensitive share price information. The union, through its president Busumane, then responded to the charge levelled against Mothudi, advising BTC that Mothudi and her colleagues attended the interview in their capacity as executive committee members of BTU to convey the views of their members. For its part, BTC defended its decision to fire the two former employees. The company indicated that on 14 December 2022, Busumane and Mothudi were guest speakers on a radio show wherein they made the following allegations: They falsely stated that P150 million was spent on training staff on C1 system and that the same staff was subsequently retrenched on 9 December 2022. Call centre BTC says Busumane and Mothudi falsely stated that BTC procured the call centre services of a company owned by ‘friends’ of the Managing Director and the Board of Directors. “They falsely stated that the Managing Director and the Board’s intention is to corruptly collapse BTC and thereafter buy it for at a cheaper price for themselves,” says BTC. According to the telco, the two ex- employees also “falsely stated that the executive committee used their company credit cards to buy whiskey e.t.c. (for botagwa)”. “They falsely stated that BTC executive committee entertainment allowance received a 300 percent increase for ‘botagwa’ and they falsely stated that BTC has employed expatriates (used the derogatory term ‘makwerekwere’ who earn more than the President of Botswana,” says BTC in court papers. The aforesaid utterances made by “the applicants were false, defamatory, misleading and inflammatory of the respondent”. [/ihc-hide-content]

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Vocal Union Members Sue BTC

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