It also directed the TAZARA management to keep record of all days during which the workers went on strike and deduct their salaries accordingly to compensate for the loss incurred by their employer for not being productive.
The workers have been on strike for over two weeks now, demanding payment of their past three-month salaries. But on Monday the court made a ruling that the strike was illegal.
Transport Minister Dr Harrison Mwakyembe announced the government’s stance to reporters in Dodoma yesterday.
He said, according to the court ruling, any TAZARA worker in Tanzania who will not resume work will be automatically terminated from work and his/her position will be filled up.
He said the government received information about the Tazara workers’ strike on May 12, to press for the payment of their salaries of February, March and April this year. However, their counterparts in Zambia did not take part in the strike in spite of also not being paid their salaries, he said.
On May 23 this year the workers filed a case at the High Court Labour Division asking for interpretation of their demands.
However, on May 26 the court made a ruling that the strike was illegal and the workers had to resume work while their demands were being worked on by the government.
Mwakyembe said on May 17 this year the government, through his ministry, called for a meeting with leaders of the Tanzania Railway Workers Union (TRAWU) in which they agreed that, if the February and April salaries could be paid, workers would resume work from May 19 this year.
But soon after the payments were made in the TRAWU account the workers raised new concerns, he noted.
He said they demanded that TAZARA powers be vested in regions (Governments of Zambia and Tanzania).
According to the minister, such a decision required the involvement of both parties – Tanzania and Zambia managements.
The minister said the government has incurred a loss of over 2.65bn/- as a result of the strike. He warned that it will take disciplinary action on all workers and TRAWU leaders fuelling the illegal strike to retain efficiency in TAZARA.
From May 12 this year TAZARA workers laid down tools, demanding for their unpaid salaries of February, in some cases, as well as March and April 2014 in others.
However, operations were not affected between Nakonde and New Kapiri-Mposhi on the Zambian side.
TAZARA public relations officer Regina Tarimo was quoted as saying that rail transport was crucial and requested for more capital.
“Once re-capitalization is made workers will obtain their salaries in time from daily operations,” she said, emphasizing that shareholders are required to work hard on re-capitalizing Tazara.
For his part, Tanzania Rail Workers Union (TRAWU) chairman Yusuph Mandai said they will continue with the strike until they are paid their salary arrears.
“We will not go back to work without being paid our salaries because it is difficult to work when you are hungry,” he said.
He added that in order for the government to operate well, the authority is supposed to run on its own for sustainable development.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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