Almost throughout the history of trade unionism in Botswana, the Botswana labour force is often picked out as one of the prime candidates for blame. Not only is it blamed for economic inefficiency, administrative malaise and managerial incompetence, but also for its presumed incompatibility with the social plans and strategies for fast development and industrialisation. On occasions, the government, managers and employers of labour have described the Botswana work force as ingrates, as a crippling deterrent against enterprise and industrialisation, as a monstrous obstacle to the legitimate pursuit of their interests. Others even think of unions and their leaders as populist fascists. Thus for many managers and employers, trade unionism in Botswana represents a clog to the wheels of industrial and social progress. In this paper, an attempt is made to show that much of these views carry with them less than a grain of truth. In particul