Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara)
Tazara management has also instructed its board of directors and council of ministers to conclusively deal with the underlying historical challenges that repeatedly cause unrest in the rail noting that structural and financial problems are the main issues.
In an exclusive interview held at the weekend in Dar es Salaam, Tazara Head of Public Relations Conrad Simuchile told The Guardian that many problems facing the authority are structural and financial in nature calling upon the responsible authorities to conclusively deal with them.
Simuchile’s statement comes but a few days after the authority’s workers resumed work after striking for at least three weeks demanding for payment of their salary arrears for the months of May, June, July and August this year.
He however warned that sooner than later the workers may go back on strike because they have not received their September pay and also overtime payment has been scrapped, upsetting most of those entitled for the pay.
The head of public relations observed that in the past, the two shareholding governments appointed task force committees to probe into the issues that keep resurfacing at Tazara causing unrests.
“The findings are well known and appreciated by the highest policy-making organ of Tazara…,” Simuchile disclosed.
He noted that the Board, Finance and Administration, Audit and the Technical committees have recently met to convene on issues and challenges facing them and are due to present their recommendations to the board in the course of this month, after which the council of ministers will also convene.
He affirmed that the Management believes firmly that issues have been clearly articulated for consideration by both the board of directors and council of ministers and that the management has submitted a five-year strategic plan for consideration by the two organs.
Simuchile made it clear that the plan requires some level of commitment for re-capitalisation which the two shareholders would have to consider and devise ways of tackling.
Earlier, Tanzania Railway Workers Union (TRAWU) acting chairperson, Dar es Salaam Zone, Yassin Mleke told The Guardian that there is the possibility of workers going on another strike because they have not been paid their September salaries.
On August 10 this year, Tazara employees went on strike demanding payment of their salary arrears for four months.
Two days later, the management dismissed almost 70 percent of the employees including 826 workers from the Tanzania Cost and Profit Centre, 120 from Dar es Salaam, 53 from Mbeya, 63 from Kongolo Quarry and five from the rail’s construction unit.
On August 29, Tazara Board of Directors reinstated the workers but they refused to resume work unless they were first paid their salary arrears.
After three weeks, the striking workers of Tazara resolved to resume work but not before delivering to the Transport ,inistry various documents they claim serve as proof of management corruption and abuse of office.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
