BAK
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 11, 2007
- 124,789
- 288,011
Kiwira workers: What`s our fate?
By The guardian reporter
22nd September 2009
`Salary arrears rise to 2.5 billion shillings`
Kiwira coal mine worker
Kiwira coal mine workers in Mbeya, in their thirteenth month without pay, have resolved to march to State House to see the president over the unusual silence on their fate.
Speaking to journalists here, the Kiwira branch Mine Workers Association chairman in Mbeya, Daniel Kibona said the 500 workers of Kiwira had gone for 13 months without salaries, yet no visible efforts were being made to end their plight.
During the last Bunge session, the government announced that the privately owned ailing Kiwira coal mine was being returned to the government for proper management. To our surprise we have not seen any efforts by the government to translate the declaration into action. The only way forward now is to seek audience with President Jakaya Kikwete. We will go there in a procession, Kibona explained.
He said he suspected that there may be delaying tactics on the part of some government officials who were dealing with the issue.
Citing an example of what he termed as total neglect of their destiny, he said not a single government official from the ministry had been to the place for logistical preparations for handing over of the company.
Workers salaries arrears have risen to 2.5bn/-. When are they going to pay us unless we press our demands harder? he wondered.
Kibona said the workers were losing patience, fearing that the government pronouncement was more of a political rhetoric as no consultations were made regarding payment of the outstanding workers salaries and terminal benefits.
Hardships in life have now reached intolerable levels. Previously ex-workers survived on charcoal burning but today even the trees they cut down for the purpose have been wiped out. The only way to push for solution is to talk to Mr. President to end the standoff that has disrupted our lives, Kibona insisted.
For his part, the parliamentary energy and minerals committee chairman, William Shellukindo said implementation of the government plan on Kiwira operations would be determined in the next parliament session; during which strategies to end the impasse would be announced.
We are waiting for the report to be given by the government in the next Bunge session slated for October 23 this year. The report will provide the guideline to end frictions on Kiwira coal mine operations, Shellukindo explained.
When contacted for comment on the matter, energy and minerals minister, William Ngeleja pledged clarification on the matter on completion of the final government report which would address the Kiwira issue more squarely.
The countrys only coal mine at Kiwira has an average annual output of 35,000 tonnes - all of which is consumed locally for power generation.
A section of the Tanzanian media sometime last month quoted Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda as having said the Chinese government was planning to pump a hefty USD400 million into the cash-strapped mine.
According to the PM, Beijing was picked from a forest of bidders seeking to manage the mine, which has been at the centre of controversy for quite some time now amid reports of having failed to honour salary and other commitments to its workers.
The since aborted privatisation of the mine in 2005 was associated with a company in which former President Benjamin Mkapa was alleged to be a shareholder, although minister Ngeleja told the National Assembly some two months ago that these reports were based on stale information.
China had participated in putting up KCM in the 1980s but problems linked to availability of capital and marketing soon forced the mine into running much below capacity, and hence the Mkapa governments decision to have it privatised.
The mine was at some stage expected to generate 200MW using coal, which electricity would have been fed into the vastly overwhelmed national grid.
Originally, the mining firms shareholders included the former presidents ANBEN Ltd, Choice Industries Ltd, Devconsult International Ltd, Fosnik Enterprises Ltd, and Universal Technologies Ltd.
According to minister Ngeleja, the ownership of the mine was reverting to the government on condition that anyone taking over its operations would have to work alongside the power monopoly Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) and the State Mining Corporation (Stamico) both state-owned agencies.
Coal resources similar in quality to the Gondwana coals of southern Africa occur in the Ruhuhu and Songwe-Kiwira basins in the Southwestern Tanzania. A total of about 1 .5 billion tonnes in reserves have so far been identified.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
By The guardian reporter
22nd September 2009
`Salary arrears rise to 2.5 billion shillings`
Kiwira coal mine worker
Kiwira coal mine workers in Mbeya, in their thirteenth month without pay, have resolved to march to State House to see the president over the unusual silence on their fate.
Speaking to journalists here, the Kiwira branch Mine Workers Association chairman in Mbeya, Daniel Kibona said the 500 workers of Kiwira had gone for 13 months without salaries, yet no visible efforts were being made to end their plight.
During the last Bunge session, the government announced that the privately owned ailing Kiwira coal mine was being returned to the government for proper management. To our surprise we have not seen any efforts by the government to translate the declaration into action. The only way forward now is to seek audience with President Jakaya Kikwete. We will go there in a procession, Kibona explained.
He said he suspected that there may be delaying tactics on the part of some government officials who were dealing with the issue.
Citing an example of what he termed as total neglect of their destiny, he said not a single government official from the ministry had been to the place for logistical preparations for handing over of the company.
Workers salaries arrears have risen to 2.5bn/-. When are they going to pay us unless we press our demands harder? he wondered.
Kibona said the workers were losing patience, fearing that the government pronouncement was more of a political rhetoric as no consultations were made regarding payment of the outstanding workers salaries and terminal benefits.
Hardships in life have now reached intolerable levels. Previously ex-workers survived on charcoal burning but today even the trees they cut down for the purpose have been wiped out. The only way to push for solution is to talk to Mr. President to end the standoff that has disrupted our lives, Kibona insisted.
For his part, the parliamentary energy and minerals committee chairman, William Shellukindo said implementation of the government plan on Kiwira operations would be determined in the next parliament session; during which strategies to end the impasse would be announced.
We are waiting for the report to be given by the government in the next Bunge session slated for October 23 this year. The report will provide the guideline to end frictions on Kiwira coal mine operations, Shellukindo explained.
When contacted for comment on the matter, energy and minerals minister, William Ngeleja pledged clarification on the matter on completion of the final government report which would address the Kiwira issue more squarely.
The countrys only coal mine at Kiwira has an average annual output of 35,000 tonnes - all of which is consumed locally for power generation.
A section of the Tanzanian media sometime last month quoted Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda as having said the Chinese government was planning to pump a hefty USD400 million into the cash-strapped mine.
According to the PM, Beijing was picked from a forest of bidders seeking to manage the mine, which has been at the centre of controversy for quite some time now amid reports of having failed to honour salary and other commitments to its workers.
The since aborted privatisation of the mine in 2005 was associated with a company in which former President Benjamin Mkapa was alleged to be a shareholder, although minister Ngeleja told the National Assembly some two months ago that these reports were based on stale information.
China had participated in putting up KCM in the 1980s but problems linked to availability of capital and marketing soon forced the mine into running much below capacity, and hence the Mkapa governments decision to have it privatised.
The mine was at some stage expected to generate 200MW using coal, which electricity would have been fed into the vastly overwhelmed national grid.
Originally, the mining firms shareholders included the former presidents ANBEN Ltd, Choice Industries Ltd, Devconsult International Ltd, Fosnik Enterprises Ltd, and Universal Technologies Ltd.
According to minister Ngeleja, the ownership of the mine was reverting to the government on condition that anyone taking over its operations would have to work alongside the power monopoly Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) and the State Mining Corporation (Stamico) both state-owned agencies.
Coal resources similar in quality to the Gondwana coals of southern Africa occur in the Ruhuhu and Songwe-Kiwira basins in the Southwestern Tanzania. A total of about 1 .5 billion tonnes in reserves have so far been identified.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
