Tanzania: Railway workers call off pay strike

(SomaliNet) After the management agreed to raise the minimum wage, the Tanzania Railway workers Union (TRAWU) yesterday called off the nation-wide TRL workers strike.

According to the deal, the Tanzania Railway Limited management will raise the minimum wage from 100,000/- to 160,000/-starting this month.

The amount will increase to 200,000/- in August this year.

Speaking during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the management and TRL workers in Dar es Salaam yesterday, TRL Managing Director Narsim Jayaram said they would pay 160,000/- for now while waiting to make a further increase in August.

He said as production would be increasing, the company would be able to pay the workers a reasonable amount at the same time improving the company`s infrastructure and assets.

He said the organization had earlier stated that management was not against a wage rise, provided they were able to earn the required sum and meet all operational costs.

He called upon workers to make use of their maximum potential in order to allow the organization gain profit so that it would rehabilitate its infrastructure and locomotives and finally be able to raise the salaries.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Infrastructure Development, Omar Chambo, said the negotiations had gone well and both parties had agreed to work together in improving the company`s performance.

He said the government would be keeping a close eye on the situation so that there was a win-win situation between the workers and management.

TRAWU Secretary General Sylvester Rwegasira said that soon after the signing of the agreement, they communicated with workers country wide and they all resumed their normal duties.

He said the workers would work hard to ensure that TRL was registering a tremendous boost in income collection.

He thanked the government for mediating the whole negotiation process and enabling both sides to reach compromise.

On Tuesday, Tanzania Railway workers staged a national wide strike, pressing for getting at least 200,000/- as minimum wage.

Earlier, the TRL management announced a 15 percent pay rise whereby the minimum wage moved from 87,000/- to 100,000/-. The workers rejected the wage hike, saying it was peanuts.

Trawu had earlier proposed 400,000/- as minimum wage.

From Dodoma, Mary Edward reports that at long last, the Kigoma-bound passenger train left Dodoma yesterday after the labour dispute had ended.

Two days of striking by TRL workers had paralyzed train operations, despite an appeal by TRAWU General Secretary for workers to resume duties as their union sorted out the problem.

Hours before the train left the railway station, stranded passengers stormed the offices of Dodoma Regional Commissioner William Lukuvi, seeking his intervention.

The passengers, who gathered at the gates of the regional office, wanted the RC to help exert pressure on the TRL management to bow to striking workers demands, thus allow resumption of passenger train services or else instruct the company to reimburse their fare.

However, their efforts proved unsuccessful as fully armed riot police barred them from crossing the gates.

Chaos reigned on Kuu Street, the main street in Dodoma, as police fired several tear gas canisters at protesting passengers.

Some of the female passengers lay down in the middle of the road and blocked moving vehicles, while others vigorously begged for assistance after running out of cash and going for two days without food.

On Wednesday, TRL staff in Dodoma and Tabora declared their intention to lay down tools.

Recalling the ordeal, one of the passengers, Veneranda Malindi, who was heading for Kigoma, said the police fired tear canisters into their compartment, sending waves of shock, and forcing an expectant mother to deliver prematurely.

”I will never forget those horrific moments, which I experienced in Dodoma. Women and children cried for help but all in vain. Some unsympathetic men took advantage of the situation by forcing women into sexual relations. A 1,500/- plate of rice with beans was enough to make a desperate woman to succumb,” she said.-Guardian