22 May 2020
Own Correspondent
Despite the hardship occasioned by outbreak of COVID-19 and the economic turmoil it has caused for people in low income brackets, Retail outlet Super Spar at Riverwalk finds itself at the centre of brewing salary dispute after it unilaterally decided to reject employee requests that it honour overtime payments to employees. Approached for clarification spar store manager indicated decision was taken by head office and that he was not at liberty to discuss employee and employer issues with media.
“I cannot talk to you. The instruction came from head office,” said Spar manager.
One Spar employee has related how their working hours and clocking summary for the COVID-19 period between 11/4/2020 and 10/5/2020 showed they worked 41.25 hours of overtime. Spar Riverwalk however would not pay them full overtime allowance due because the business did not make money.
The employer has unilaterally decided they will only pay the employee 18.25 hours of overtime. This is despite the fact that employees made considerable sacrifices to work during COVID_19 period often without appropriate permits. Spar which incurred fines for not having permits for employees did not provide transport for employees who walked to work from different parts of the city.
Super Spar riverwalk has also introduced a new policy of compelling employees to take 7 hours leave a month to avoid paying overtime. This is despite the fact that employees are only entitled to paid annual leave of at least 1.25 days for every month of month. In total, this translates into 15 working days of annual leave. Annual leave does not increase with the length of employment with the employer.
According to Botswana’s labour laws of the total 15 working days’ leave earned in respect of a period of 12 months, at least eight working days have to be taken no later than six months immediately after the end of the period in respect of which the leave was earned.
Remaining leave can be accumulated year by year but is not to be accumulated for longer than three years immediately after the end of the period in respect of which leave was first accumulated. At the end of that three years’ period, all the accumulated leave together with all the leave earned in respect of the immediately preceding period of 12 months must be taken.
SPAR has been present in Botswana since 1982 and has over 42 SPAR stores located across the country and states ironically on its website that it stands united with the Botswana Government in the fight against COVID-19 and supports measures and regulations put in place by the government.
