Tanzanian Railway Workers on Strike

Text of report by correspondents Nasser Kigwangallah and Austin Beyadi entitled “TRL workers down tools but ‘serious’ negotiations still on” published by Tanzanian newspaper The Guardian website on 13 March

The Tanzania Railway Limited (TRL) workers who have been on a labour dispute with their employer yesterday started a nationwide strike to pressurize the management to increase the minimum wage to at least 200,000 shillings [173 dollars].

TRL Dar es Salaam workers reported at their work places as usual yesterday, but soon after the end of the 48-hour strike notice at 7 a.m. [local time], they all downed their tools.

Speaking to ‘The Guardian’, the Tanzania Railway Workers Union [TRAWU] secretary-general, Sylvester Rwegasira, said they had been meeting with government officials and company management since Tuesday in order to find the lasting solution to the industrial unrest.

He said that ongoing negotiations among the trio would decide whether the strike should continue or not and that the outcome of the meetings would be communicated to the workers as soon as possible.

He said that if the TRL management would give in to the workers’ demands while the latter are waiting for the September review, TRAWU would call off the strike.

The workers had initially proposed 400,000 shillings as minimum wage, but the amount was rejected by TRL management and the government during previous negotiations.

Until 5 p.m. yesterday the union leaders were still locked in a meeting with government officials and the firm’s management.

The government yesterday called on the workers to call off the strike as their representatives were meeting the management for negotiations.

A representative who was sent by the government to rescue the situation shortly before the workers downed tools announced that the strike had been suspended indefinitely.

“We have told the workers to suspend their strike today (yesterday), so that the government could sort out their labour dispute with their employer (the TRL), mainly on payment scale,” the permanent secretary [PS] in the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, Omar Chambo, announced to the workers.

The PS said the government intervened to save the situation from worsening.

Chambo said the government was making negotiations with both the TRL management and the workers’ representatives over the matter to see how the problem could be solved amicably without inconveniencing the passengers.

He said the difference between the two sides was over the minimum payment scale in which workers demand 400,000 shillings while on its side, the management was not in a position to pay anything above 120,000 shillings.

“We entered into serious negotiations on Tuesday and we managed to convince the workers to suspend their strike.

Negotiations will continue until a final settlement of the dispute has been reached once and for all,” Chambo said.

The TRL Managing Director, Narsimhaswami Jayram, had earlier said that the salary increment demanded by the workers was beyond the firm’s capacity to pay as it was operating at a loss.

Originally published by The Guardian website, Dar es Salaam, in English 13 Mar 08.

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