The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
12 August 2008
More than 250,000 public service employees countrywide ate to go on strike in two weeks' time to protest non-payment by the Government of a reported Sh500 billion in salary arrears.
Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (Tucta) secretary-general Mr Nestory Ngulla said yesterday the workers would down tools for three days beginning August 25. However, he said the protest would be extended depending on how the Government reacted to their demands for full payment.
Mr Ngulla told a press conference in Dar es Salaam that members of four main unions representing public service employees had resolved to walk out of their workstations to demonstrate their displeasure at the Government's "indifference".
Learning in primary and secondary schools, provision of services in health facilities and work in district and regional councils will be most affected if the strike materialises. There are more than 100,000 teachers, 52,000 health workers and 48,000 local government employees employed by the Government.
However, the announcement immediately drew a sharp reaction from the Government with Public Service management permanent secretary George Yambesi declaring that the strike would have no basis.
"There is no need for calling a strike because the Government has already paid new salaries in July and is working towards establishing the correct amount of arrears it owes its workers," he said.
He added: "We are surprised and do not understand the basis on which they are organising the protest. The Government is not late, and we aim to pay all arrears between August and September." The PS said lack of budgeted funds had delayed the payment of new salaries from January to July.
Salary arrears
Finance deputy minister Jeremiah Sumari said in Dodoma last night that the Government owed workers Sh112 billion in salary arrears, which had first to be verified by various ministries before the funds were released.
The strike announcement and the response from the PS was bound to heighten the growing disquiet among workers and put them on a collision course with their employer.
Muhimbili interns strike
A four-day strike by interns at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) began to bite yesterday even as teachers continued to collect signatures in preparation for a yet-to-be-announced countrywide strike over the same arrears.
Mr Ngulla insisted that workers would resort to strikes until their claims were fully met and dismissed Dr Yambesi's stance, noting that the Government had taken too long to end workers' problems once and for all.
Meanwhile, Health and Social Welfare deputy minister Aisha Kigoda intervened to temporarily end the strike by the medical interns who agreed to resume work yesterday.
However, according to their spokesperson, Mr Paul Magesa, the interns will work only for a week pending fulfilment of a promise by the Health ministry to pay new allowances in full.
A daylong meeting involving MNH director Prof Leonard Lema, Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Abbas Kandoro and Mr Magesa agreed that the strike should end to relieve patients' suffering.
And yesterday afternoon, Dr Kigoda said in a statement that the Government was committed to paying the interns new salaries and arrears.
The deputy minister said part of the problem affecting the nearly 100 interns was that they were paid outside the main government payroll. However, a list of their claims had by yesterday been taken to the Finance ministry for computing to enable them get their proper allowances.
Dr Kigoda said funds that were released this month were not enough if new salary standards were to be used for all interns at Muhimbili, Mbeya, KCMC, Bugando and Bombo hospitals.
She criticised the interns for going on strike although they were still in negotiations with the Government, adding that this was against public service, legal and labour procedures and medical ethics.
Towards a crisis
A spot check at MNH established that the situation at the largest referral hospital was slowly gliding towards a crisis. The news of the end to the protest however brought a sigh of relief to overworked doctors and other nurses who were left covering for the absence of the interns. With a shortage of over 60 per cent in all its public health facilities, any slight disruption often brought untold suffering among the poor who relied on government medical services.
August 25th
At the Tucta press conference where the August 25 strike was announced, Mr Ngulla said the planned protest has been agreed by all trade unions and will remain unchanged unless the Government pays the arrears without further delay. Mr Ngulla said it is the right time the Government recognised the importance of its own workers.
"Parliament approved the money for the workers but they are yet to be paid, the reasons for that are best known by the Government. On our side we formally announce a strike," said Mr Ngulla.
He said the Government was served with two different notices, the first on June 24 and the second on July 31.
He was flanked at the press conference by representatives of the four public service unions namely Tanzania Local Government Workers Union (Talgwu), Tanzania Teachers Union (TTU), Research and Academic workers Union (Raawu) and Tanzania Union of Government and Health employees (Tughe). Other officials from member unions for private sector were also present, including Mr Sylvester Rwegasira of the Tanzania Railway Workers Union (Trawu), who accused the Government of taking its workers for granted.
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