AG awaonya TUCTA kujihusisha na siasa

[MAMA POROJO]

THE government has warned the Tanzania Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA) to refrain from politics or face legal action.

The Deputy Attorney General, Mr George Masaju said in Dar es Salaam on Thursday that the umbrella trade union action to put conditions on who they would vote into office as president in the coming general election in October was an outright breach of the labour laws.

Mr Masaju warned that the government would not remain silent as TUCTA took advantage of the political climate to disrupt peace.

He advised TUCTA to adhere to labour laws, adding: "What TUCTA leaders are doing is totally wrong and ceases from being a trade union, a credible institution and free from politics.

"As a matter of principle, workers in trade unions are affiliated to different political parties with different ideologies, according to him. By declaring common position on their preferred presidential candidate as they plan to do next month is going beyond their mandate.

"They ought to stop it, we have no block voting culture, if they go to the extreme on this matter we shall enforce the laws accordingly."

The Deputy AG said the government was keen to ensure peace and tranquility was maintained during the countdown to general elections. The warning also applies to any other individual, institution or arrangement that seeks to disrupt peace by taking the advantage of the situation.

Source: Daily News

 

[MAMA POROJO]

View attachment 12525

Tucta's stance on presidential candidates:WRONG IN PRINCIPLE!

MY eye brows were raised, and I believe the eye brows of most informed and fair minded people, upon the announcement that the union of trade unions in this country known as the Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA) is poised to name the presidential candidate it favours at its forthcoming general meeting scheduled for Dar es Salaam next month.

According to a news account, in case you missed the story, the Acting TUCTA Secretary-General, one Nicholas Mgaya, has announced that unions forming the umbrella Congress, which is Tucta, would be asked 'who among the presidential aspirants had the interest of Tanzanian workers at heart before formally deciding who the umbrella group would ask workers of this country to cast their votes in his favour'.

''We cannot force aspirants to accept our votes if they don't want them, so we will find out who wants our votes,'' one English daily quoted Mr Mgaya as saying.

He was apparently alluding to remarks made by incumbent President Jakaya Kikwete who was widely quoted as saying at a meeting of Dar es Salaam elders in May, this year, that he would rather lose workers' votes if it meant granting their demands without taking into account other equally pressing national needs.

He was quoted as saying even if the government were to decide to pay the proposed wages as demanded by the congress of trade unions, it would effectively mean that other development projects and social services would have to miss government funding, the alternative of which would be for the government of the day to borrow heavily to make up for the deficit.

The President had argued then that since government revenues derived from taxpayers' money, money derived from taxation is for all Tanzanians.

For this reason, said the President, he was not ready to accede to the unions' demand to hike the minimum wage to the figure of 315,000/- per month as demanded by the unions at the expense of 39 million other people not in salaried employment countrywide.

So here we have two sides of the coin of the story. The allied trade union movement, Tucta, in the letter and spirit of all trade union movements everywhere pressing for increased salaries and other benefits for workers, and the President explaining why his government would not concede to the demands.

Looking at the arguments of both sides, a positive element here is that there is a give and take in the arguments, and the conclusion is, of course, subject to one's interpretation.

Informed people everywhere know that employers and their employees are not always a happy lot much less those in the middle - advocates for employees, the trade union movements. Inevitably, tussles are there and sometimes-violent ones. It is normal.

Following the President's response to the demands of workers as represented by Tucta, one may be tempted to conclude that the remarks of the President were a little impolitic, but that would not be assumed as the opinion of everybody.

But for a trade union to come up and say in the countdown to General Elections that it was going to name a candidate it favours, and ask workers to vote for that person is wrong as a matter of principle.

The reason is simple. It is not the conventional role of a trade union. It is the mandate of political parties because they are the ones in the competing field and not a trade union movement.

It would have been a different matter, of course, were it common knowledge that Tucta was allied to one political party in the polity as some trade union movements are known to be elsewhere. Now why this sudden stance by Tucta to take sides in the competing political parties?

Making a flashback of the history of this country's trade union movement, especially in post multiparty era, trade unions have always stuck to their conventional role of a trade union movement with no alliances to political parties leaving it to the conscience of individual workers as to who or which party to cast their votes.

So the current stance by Tucta is both unprecedented and unfortunate. Someone somewhere should stand up and say firmly and strongly: Tucta you are wrong here unless you have something else up your sleeves. I am saying so today!

E-mail: makwaia@bol.co.tz

 

[Lole Gwakisa]

THE government has warned the Tanzania Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA) to refrain from politics or face legal action.

The Deputy Attorney General, Mr George Masaju said in Dar es Salaam on Thursday that the umbrella trade union action to put conditions on who they would vote into office as president in the coming general election in October was an outright breach of the labour laws.

Mr Masaju warned that the government would not remain silent as TUCTA took advantage of the political climate to disrupt peace.

He advised TUCTA to adhere to labour laws, adding: "What TUCTA leaders are doing is totally wrong and ceases from being a trade union, a credible institution and free from politics.

"As a matter of principle, workers in trade unions are affiliated to different political parties with different ideologies, according to him. By declaring common position on their preferred presidential candidate as they plan to do next month is going beyond their mandate.

"They ought to stop it, we have no block voting culture, if they go to the extreme on this matter we shall enforce the laws accordingly."

The Deputy AG said the government was keen to ensure peace and tranquility was maintained during the countdown to general elections. The warning also applies to any other individual, institution or arrangement that seeks to disrupt peace by taking the advantage of the situation.

Source: Daily News

These comments are stupid and uncalled for. At worst it only pushes the difference of the workers union TUCTA and the Ruling party into the worst ever conflict.

Common sense requires that this issue be resolved behind the scenes to avert any public fall out.

 

[Baija Bolobi]

These comments are stupid and uncalled for. At worst it only pushes the difference of the workers union TUCTA and the Ruling party into the worst ever conflict.

Common sense requires that this issue be resolved behind the scenes to avert any public fall out.

======

Masaju na his boss Werema are outrightly wrong too. The experience shows that if TUCTA declared to vote for Kikwete, these gentlemen could not have come out shouting as they are doing now.

The issue is clear, TUCTA members are affected by political decisions of the day, and thus, uniting to solve this through the ballot box is quite fair. Trying to stop them as Masaju suggests, is too row and too political. Go TUCTA go.

 

[Mtu66]

Sasa mbona Kikwete mwenyewe ndo kaanza...ka mchezo za kuingiza KURA kwenye majibu ya mishahara...AU...sheria zetu nazo zinafuata vi WEAK LINK tu.....

 

[Anfaal]

Sasa mbona Kikwete mwenyewe ndo kaanza...ka mchezo za kuingiza KURA kwenye majibu ya mishahara...AU...sheria zetu nazo zinafuata vi WEAK LINK tu.....

Hili ni miongoni mwa issue tulikuwa tunajadili hapa. kama ni ukweli lazima usemwe. TUCTA is wrong

 

[Mbogela]

Hili ni miongoni mwa issue tulikuwa tunajadili hapa. kama ni ukweli lazima usemwe. TUCTA is wrong

Kwanini AG hakumuuonya president asiingize suala la kura kwenye issue ya mishahara? Maana kama kuanza kuchanganya mambo yaTUCTA na siasa ni rais ndio alianza. Kwani TUCTA waliwahi kusema watamnyima Kura mtu mpaka president asema kama ni kura wasitupe???

Jambo la Pili AG atatumia sheria ipi kuwabana TUCTA? kwasababu hata sisi hapa JF kama ni hivyo basi tunafanya makosa kuanza kujadiri fulani anafaa na fulani hafai, kwasababu na sisi ni kundi fulani ambalo sio chama cha siasa.

Na huyu jamaa anyeropoka kufikia tarehe 1 November 2010 atakuwa hana kazi, na yeye atarudi kuungana na akina Mgaya kudai maslahi bora

 

[Anfaal]

Kwanini AG hakumuuonya president asiingize suala la kura kwenye issue ya mishahara? Maana kama kuanza kuchanganya mambo yaTUCTA na siasa ni rais ndio alianza. Kwani TUCTA waliwahi kusema watamnyima Kura mtu mpaka president asema kama ni kura wasitupe???

Jambo la Pili AG atatumia sheria ipi kuwabana TUCTA? kwasababu hata sisi hapa JF kama ni hivyo basi tunafanya makosa kuanza kujadiri fulani anafaa na fulani hafai, kwasababu na sisi ni kundi fulani ambalo sio chama cha siasa.

Na huyu jamaa anyeropoka kufikia tarehe 1 November 2010 atakuwa hana kazi, na yeye atarudi kuungana na akina Mgaya kudai maslahi bora

Nadhani wengi wetu tunasahau haraka. TUCTA wakati bado wanaburuzana na mawaziri walikuwa wanatumia kura kama kigezo cha kuongezeka mshahara, kwahiyo jibu la kikwete liliendana na maneno ya TUCTA. Sheria inayoweza kuwaadhibu TUCTA inahusiana na malengo yao ya kusajiliwa.

 

[Mlalahoi]

Hili ni miongoni mwa issue tulikuwa tunajadili hapa. kama ni ukweli lazima usemwe. TUCTA is wrong

Hivi mbona mnakuwa wepesi wa kusahau historia?Je miongoni mwa forces zilizochangia uhuru wetu sio vyama vya wafanyakazi?Au hiyo ilikuwa ni dini na sio siasa?

Na je TUCTA wangekuwa wrong too kama wangesema wanamsapoti Kikwete na CCM yake?

It's ridiculous kwa mtu anayejiita mfanyakazi like you kuilaumu TUCTA eti kwa vile tu wamesema wataweka bayana mgombea wanayeamini atajali maslahi yao! Hivi kama wewe ni mfanyakazi kweli uko radhi maslahi yako yaendelee kuwa kijungujiko huko mawaziri na wabunge wakitengeneza equivalent of ur salary in a day in terms of posho?

 

[Mutu]

Nadhani wengi wetu tunasahau haraka. TUCTA wakati bado wanaburuzana na mawaziri walikuwa wanatumia kura kama kigezo cha kuongezeka mshahara, kwahiyo jibu la kikwete liliendana na maneno ya TUCTA. Sheria inayoweza kuwaadhibu TUCTA inahusiana na malengo yao ya kusajiliwa.

Lete ushahidi hapa wewe unafikiri sheria inaongozwa na hisia.
Kikwete ndio aliingiza maneno ya kutokujari kura za wafanyakazi sasa what,he started it ..........where were the AG.

Go back wakina Kawawa ndio walikoanzia kupigania uhuru tokea vyama vya wafanyakazi.
Je ni vibaya Tucta kama chama cha kupigania maslahi ya wafanyakazi wakisema as maslahi yenu wafanyakazi concerned mchagueni mtu mwenye sifa hizi na hizi na mtu huyo ni...............

 

[Kanyafu Nkanwa]

Lete ushahidi hapa wewe unafikiri sheria inaongozwa na hisia.
Kikwete ndio aliingiza maneno ya kutokujari kura za wafanyakazi sasa what,he started it ..........where were the AG.

Go back wakina Kawawa ndio walikoanzia kupigania uhuru tokea vyama vya wafanyakazi.
Je ni vibaya Tucta kama chama cha kupigania maslahi ya wafanyakazi wakisema as maslahi yenu wafanyakazi concerned mchagueni mtu mwenye sifa hizi na hizi na mtu huyo ni...............

Unakijua unachoongea au unaongea kwa kuwa kila mmoja anaongea tu hapa. Ni lazima ukijue unachoongea kwenye mambo yanayohitaji ufahamu kama hili. Muhimu kukaa kimya na kusoma wangine wanasemaje kuliko kuweka weka upupu kwenye makalio yako

 

[Mutu]

Unakijua unachoongea au unaongea kwa kuwa kila mmoja anaongea tu hapa. Ni lazima ukijue unachoongea kwenye mambo yanayohitaji ufahamu kama hili. Muhimu kukaa kimya na kusoma wangine wanasemaje kuliko kuweka weka upupu kwenye makalio yako

Wewe ndio unatakiwa kukaa kimya ulitakiwa useme kipi nilichokosea na ukweli halisia ni upi,Ila kwa kuwa uko kwa kazi maalum kuakikisha unaitetea CCM na watu wake no matter what ndio maana unasema nikae kimya bila kubainisha where I went wrong.

Inasikitisha sana ,ila ndio hivyo njaa mbaya labda ndio dhiki inakufanya ubonyeze keyboard.

Jibu hoja wewe acha kulia lia ovyo .

 

[RedDevil]

Inshu ni nzito kwa CCM, mara JK hakukataa kura za wafanyakazi mara TUCTA wanafanya makosa. Inshu iko wazi, wafanyakazi hakuna kurudi nyuma its a Go and not a return. Wafanya kazi wanaushawishi mkubwa sehemu zote nchini, na wanaweza kufanya mambo makubwa hapa nchini katika kuleta mabadiliko.

I just wanna say, TUCTA hakuna kurudi nyuma, tena inabidi waweke msimamo mapema wasije kukamatwa bure tutakakosa watoaji sauti.

 

[Augustine Moshi]

Juwata ilikuwa inapigia CHAMA debe kila uchaguzi.

Sijawahi kuona watu kuogopa endorsement kama hivi. Unaona walivyohaha wengi? Wasira, Werema, Makamba, Msekwa etc, Wote wameogopa endorsement tu?

 

[ChaMtuMavi]

Hivi mbona mnakuwa wepesi wa kusahau historia?Je miongoni mwa forces zilizochangia uhuru wetu sio vyama vya wafanyakazi?Au hiyo ilikuwa ni dini na sio siasa?

Na je TUCTA wangekuwa wrong too kama wangesema wanamsapoti Kikwete na CCM yake?

It's ridiculous kwa mtu anayejiita mfanyakazi like you kuilaumu TUCTA eti kwa vile tu wamesema wataweka bayana mgombea wanayeamini atajali maslahi yao! Hivi kama wewe ni mfanyakazi kweli uko radhi maslahi yako yaendelee kuwa kijungujiko huko mawaziri na wabunge wakitengeneza equivalent of ur salary in a day in terms of posho?

Jamani hivi Democracy ni nini? labda tuelimishwe tena.

Nilifundishwa siasa kwamba nchi yetu ni ya kidemokrasia, na kwamba kila mtu ana hiari ya kumchagua kiongozi anayedhani anafaa. Hili suala la TUCTA mbona linaonekana kujichagulia rais atakayejali maslahi yao inakuwa kama kosa la jinai???

Kwa nini somo linakuwa gumu hapa na hali kiubinadamu kila mtu anachagua mtu ambaye atajali na kutetea maslahi yake mfano ndoa, urafiki n.k. huwezi kumchagua mwenza ambaye hatakujali, vinginevyo taraka zisingekuwepo.

Watanzania lazima tujue kwamba wakati umefika wa sisi kuwapa kura wale ambao wanajali na kutetea maslahi yetu. Lazima tufike mahala tukatae ubeberu huu ktk nchi. Amani haitapatikana kama watoto wetu hawapati chakula, elimu, urithi n.k. Hatupati usingizi vibaka wamezidi, ujambazi n.k kwa sababu hakuna anayejali maslahi yetu.

Watanzania tuamke, tuukatae utumwa mamboleo.

TUCHANGUE VIONGOZI WATAKAOTETEA NA KUJALI MSALAHI YETU NA SIYO YA FAMILIA ZAO NA WAZUNGUUUU.

Kijiographia kila nchi imejaliwa utajiri wake, hakuna mtu asiyejua utajiri uliopo Tanzania, ni aibu kwa nchi kuongoza kuwa masikini na hali soko la dunia la gold halijawahi kutetereka.

Tuzinduke, amkeni watanzania, wakati wa ukombozi ni sasa.

 

[Augustine Moshi]

Anayefahamu sheria ambayo TUCTA watakuwa wameivunja kama wakitoa endorsement yao kwa mgombea Urais tafadhali atuwekee hapa.

Masaju ananikumbusha kawaida ya zamani ya CCM. Ati TUCTA inataka kuvuruga amani. Yaani kikundi kikisema kingependa nani awe Rais tayari kimevuruga amani?

Kwa nini watu kama Masaju, Werema na wengine ambao bado wamegubikwa na kasumba ya zamani ya kusema usipounga CCM mkono basi unavuruga amani wawe na nafasi ambazo zinahitaji kutofungamana na upande wowote?

Naomba vikundi vingine kama vyama vya wanafunzi wa vyuo vikuu na UDASA navyo vijitokeze viseme vitataja ni nani vingependa awe Rais. Yaani wamlize Masaju zaidi.

 

[Zak Malang]

Mimi nakubaliana na yule aliyesema kamaTUCTA ingetamka kuisapoti CCM, huyo AG angekuwa kimya -- angeufyata! Yote haya yanatokana na hofu kubwa iliyotanda ndani ya viongozi wa chama hicho kutokana na wimbi la kukubalika kwa Chadema. Kumbe hawa watu wanaweza ku-panic namna hii?

 

[Kichuguu]

Hawa jamaa wapuuzi kabisa na wanataka kuzima demokrasi ya asili kwa vyama vya wafanyakazi. Hawajui kuwa vyama vya wafanyakazi vinafanya kazi zao politically.

Huko USA vyama vya wafanyakazi vinasaidia candidate wa Democrat wazi wazi na republican wanajua hivyo.

Huko Poland, Solidarity iliyoleta yale mapinduzi kilikuwa ni trade union.

Chiluba huko Zambia alipingana na serikali ya Kaunda akiwa ni kiongozi wa Trade Unions, huko Zimbabwe, MMD inayopingana na Mugabe ni chama kilichotakana na Trade Unions na kiko backed na Trade Unions hadi leo, kwa Afrika ya Kusini COSATU ni chama cha wafanyakazi ambacho kina kura ya pamoja (block vote), kwa hiyo mgombea uchaguzi yoyote anayetaka kura za wafanyakazi ni lazima akampeini kupata kura hizo, COSATU itaamuwa wafanyakazi wampigie nani.

Huko uingereza, trade unions zinasupoort chama cha labor kwa wazi wazi, na conservatives wanajua hivyo. Iweje Tanzania wafanyakzi wasie na sauti ya pamoja ya kumpigia mtu wanayejua atawasaidia? Hiyo ndiyo demokrasi ati, au tunajiita kuwa demokrasi kwa jina tu pale linapotusaidia.

Maonyo ya namna hii yanaashiria kuwa CCM wana woga wa hali ya juu sana kuhusu uchaguzi ujao. Hakuna sheria yoyote inayovunjwa kwa kundi la watu wanaochambua wagombea kusudi wajue ni yupe atakayewafaa.

Mbona wanafunzi wa University of Dodoma walipigia kampeini Kikwete, na hawakupewa maonyo ya namna hiyo ilihali wao ni wanafunzi kwenye chuo cha umma?

 

[SAGAI GALGANO]

TUCTA wako sahihi kabisa,wanachofanya ni kuunga mkono kauli ya Mh. Rais ya kuzikataa kura za wafanyakazi. AG aache ushabiki wake, tunajua kuwa ni kada mwaminifu wa CCM.

 

[Safari_ni_Safari]

Very silly reamark form such a respected office....kwani TUCTA itasimama mbele ya ballot boxes na kuamuru wanachama wake waweke kura zao wanapotaka wao TUCTA?hiyo si siri ya kila mpiga kura...Wao wamesema watatoa muongozo wa mtu anayefaa kuwa Rais...yule atakaye jali maslahi yao ifikapo mwezi wa kumi....hawajasema chagua fulani au chama fulani....hiii bado inampa nafasi Kikwete na CCM kama wanataka kujiweka sawa basi waweke mazingira ya kusaidia wafanyakazi....miaka yoye 50 vyama vya wafanyakazi vilikuwa upande wa serikali sasa vimejitoa ndio inakuwa taabu?Hata viongozi wake walikuwa wanteuliwa na CCM-Tandau,Kolimba,Mpangala etc

1961-1977:NUTA-Jumuiya ya TANU(Baba wa CCM)
1977-1987:JUWATA-Jumuiya ya CCM
1987-1990:OTTU-Jumuiya ya CCM
1990-2000??:TFTU-Huru toka vyama vya siasa
2000??-Now:TUCTA-Huru toka vyama vya siasa