Tanzania bid to review work permit system

Wed, Feb 15th, 2012 Tanzania |




Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Labour and Employment, Mr Eric Shitindi

Work permits to foreigners working in Tanzania will be issued by one centre only instead of three after a new system is in place.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Labour and Employment, Mr Eric Shitindi told the Parliamentary Committee for Public Accounts (PAC) in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday that his office was working on a new module for non-citizens wishing to work in the country.

Earlier, the PAC challenged the government on the obvious loopholes of the current system, saying it was prone to laxity and was easy to manipulate.

Mr Shitindi said there were challenges surrounding the issuance of work permits as three different authorities namely, the Immigration Department, Tanzania Investment Centre and the Labour ministry, all had authority to deal with permits.

Ms Lucy Owenya (Special Seats-Chadema) queried the influx of Chinese dealers in Kariakoo and other areas in Dar es Salaam, especially at garages, wondering whether such mechanical works could not easily be carried out by locals. Shinyanga Urban legislator Steven Masele (CCM) said he had confirmed reports of "some foreign companies" employing scores of non-citizens while locals could easily take up the jobs.

Other MPs noted with concern that some foreign companies were flouting labour laws by engaging more non-citizens than locals. The PAC Chairperson, Mr John Cheyo, demonstrated how Tanzania could jealously guard job opportunities for her people saying when travelling to the UK, a visitor's visa is given an ‘employment prohibited' stamp.

The issue of work permits surfaced during the PAC visit to the Labour ministry after the latter's data revealed that the rate of unemployment among the youth was rising. While the PS gave the rate at 12 per cent, Mr Cheyo punched holes in the statistics, noting that a smaller base might have been taken as a sample.

Mr Cheyo painted a gloomier picture, noting that creating a growing number of unemployed youth would result in a society that has no hope or love for its government. Earlier, the PS said some surveys showed that many youths lacked skills, adding that the education system should strive for competitive development of human resources.

"Our assumption is that as long as one is working in a productive sector, he or she is employed. People can either be employed or initiate own employment after school," said the PS. MPs had also wanted to know whether the ministry had liaised with its Education and Vocational Training counterpart to see how the education system can be reshaped to add more skills. The Shinyanga legislator proposed for a record keeping system for graduates, to be easily reached when employment opportunities abroad are available.

By ORTON KIISHWEKO, Tanzania Daily News

Splendid only one GVT department should issue Work Permit rather than 3; 3 encourages u know what our love 2 corruption

I hope this will end that sort of greed; and the people in those departments should be starting to work on their departments needs

Well this will end the influx of Indians, Pakistanis, Chinese etc along our crowded streets of Dar-es-salaam...

Nilikuwa nashangaa sana how easly to get work permit in tanzania wakati mie nimefanya kazi 1yrs sijapata work permit just in west africa...Inabidi kukaa nairobi na kuingia kama tourist in 3month then out for 1 month...till nilipo pata...lakini hawa wenzetu wanaingia na kukaa, wanaendelea kitumika na bila shida...

Ila sasa waangalie makampuni ya kigeni yana roster za 8/4 mtu atachukua Tourist visa ya 2month then anafanya kazi anasepa kwa mapumziko...kisha after a month anarudi tena kwa kazi ..

This land's bureaucrats are too corrupt to implement such a legislation.

A majority of foreigners enjoy such spoken loopholes so easily because we dont speak up! some of us even encourage them by showing them such loopholes in our ever learning System of Country Governance. I am not sure if there is even a single Governement entity that is clean of such weaknesses.

In other Countries, even in E A, the process is so laborious that you would wish you came back home, they deliberately make it so complicated to discourage foreigners from working in their Countries.

In the U K for instance, many people do get arrested for violating their status, through information sent to the Immigration department (Border Forces/Home Office) by loyal British Citizens. In the UK if one is caught employing a foreigner without following the necessary procedures, they are fined Stg 10000.
With hefty fines like that, one thinks twice before they engage a non status person to work for them however cheap such a labor is!

We could begin here 'jamvini' expose offices with such individuals, a thousand miles journey begins with a single step!

This is good news! This is an area where the Immigration Officers were spinning money (corruptly) by issuing Residence Permits, that also allows the foreigners to get also "Work Permits"! I recently heard the Deputy Minister for Labour lamenting that the Immigration Department should only issue Residence Permits and leave the Labour Ministry to issue separate Work Permits. But regulations prevailing right now were not separating these duties. So the PS has now said, in the new regulations these duties will be separated.

About time!

nngu007 said:

Wed, Feb 15th, 2012 Tanzania |

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Labour and Employment, Mr Eric Shitindi

Work permits to foreigners working in Tanzania will be issued by one centre only instead of three after a new system is in place.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Labour and Employment, Mr Eric Shitindi told the Parliamentary Committee for Public Accounts (PAC) in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday that his office was working on a new module for non-citizens wishing to work in the country.

Earlier, the PAC challenged the government on the obvious loopholes of the current system, saying it was prone to laxity and was easy to manipulate.

Mr Shitindi said there were challenges surrounding the issuance of work permits as three different authorities namely, the Immigration Department, Tanzania Investment Centre and the Labour ministry, all had authority to deal with permits.

Ms Lucy Owenya (Special Seats-Chadema) queried the influx of Chinese dealers in Kariakoo and other areas in Dar es Salaam, especially at garages, wondering whether such mechanical works could not easily be carried out by locals. Shinyanga Urban legislator Steven Masele (CCM) said he had confirmed reports of “some foreign companies” employing scores of non-citizens while locals could easily take up the jobs.

Other MPs noted with concern that some foreign companies were flouting labour laws by engaging more non-citizens than locals. The PAC Chairperson, Mr John Cheyo, demonstrated how Tanzania could jealously guard job opportunities for her people saying when travelling to the UK, a visitor’s visa is given an ‘employment prohibited’ stamp.

The issue of work permits surfaced during the PAC visit to the Labour ministry after the latter’s data revealed that the rate of unemployment among the youth was rising. While the PS gave the rate at 12 per cent, Mr Cheyo punched holes in the statistics, noting that a smaller base might have been taken as a sample.

Mr Cheyo painted a gloomier picture, noting that creating a growing number of unemployed youth would result in a society that has no hope or love for its government. Earlier, the PS said some surveys showed that many youths lacked skills, adding that the education system should strive for competitive development of human resources.

“Our assumption is that as long as one is working in a productive sector, he or she is employed. People can either be employed or initiate own employment after school,” said the PS. MPs had also wanted to know whether the ministry had liaised with its Education and Vocational Training counterpart to see how the education system can be reshaped to add more skills. The Shinyanga legislator proposed for a record keeping system for graduates, to be easily reached when employment opportunities abroad are available.

By ORTON KIISHWEKO, Tanzania Daily News

Click to expand...

Hivi kweli tuko serious na mambo yetu? Kila kitu we give put for free! mhhh

Christiano Ronaldo said:

This is good news! This is an area where the Immigration Officers were spinning money (corruptly) by issuing Residence Permits, that also allows the foreigners to get also "Work Permits"! I recently heard the Deputy Minister for Labour lamenting that the Immigration Department should only issue Residence Permits and leave the Labour Ministry to issue separate Work Permits. But regulations prevailing right now were not separating these duties. So the PS has now said, in the new regulations these duties will be separated.

Click to expand...

As far as I know the ministry of labour have no mandate and human resource to arrest foreigners who live without work permit. At the same time there are different types of work permit depending on type of the job perfomed by a foreigner. How Immigration and Police will affect the arrest of someone engaging in occupation which is not related to his work permit when they won't be aware the type of work permit?.
Tatizo na wageni wengi Tanzania sio kuwa hawana vibali bali wanafanya kazi tofauti na vibali vyao vinavyoonyesha na ndio inawafanya Immigration wale rushwa kwa ni wao tu wanajua aina mbalimbali ya vibali. Sheria na Uhamiaji inawaruhu pia police kukamata wageni wanaokyuka sheria za uhamiaji, usishange kwa nini police hawawakati wachina na wahindi kwa kuwa hao wote wanakuwa na vibali, nakini vingi haviwaruhusu kufanya kazi wanazofanya. Ni uhamiaji wanaoweza tumia advantage ya ujuzi wao kura rushwa kwa makosa kama hayo ambayo police wanakuwa hwajui kama ni kosa.Police kazi yao ni kukamata wasomali tu kwani hao wanajua hata passport wengi wanakuwa hawana. I dought the proposal of Ministry of Labour to have a mandate to issue resident permit, katika kutembea kwangu kidogo sijawahi ona nchi yenye system kama hiyo. Sanasana ndio Uhamiaji watakura rushwa sana, kwani Ministry of labour haiwezi kuwa na uwezo wa kufuatilia vibali vilivyoisha au kama mteja wao alishaanzisha biashara au kazi nyingine ambayo ni tofauti na kibali chake cha awali

Christian Ronaldo i concur with you and i support what PS-Eric Shitindi told P.A.C:

but in additional to Jagermaster is that not true that those three authorised organ to issue permits are powerless in the extent that can't arrest in case found a person guilty.

TIC and Ministry of Labour have full authority in collaboration with police department to do whatever they can if found a foreigner working without having a workpermit.

The problem rise where the government fail to recognise and support fully these two organs(especialy Ministry Labour) and base more to Immigration Department something that lead to all Community to know that all permits mandated to be issued by only this Deprtment, then at the end of the day you found Immigration Department dealing with all permits(residence and workpermit) ''something which is wrong''

From what i can say: categories of workpermits are well classfied in so doing each organ should work not beyond on its border. normally Residence permits are issued and administered by Immigration Department and the rest Workpermits(for investors, volunteers, consultants and normal employees)-TIC and MINISTRY OF LABOUR are the ones reponsible for. and therefore community should well be informed on that and the Government should recognise by giving necessarry support to make the authorosed officers to perform their duties accordingly: otherwise i agree with PC-Eric Shitindi that there should be only one Organ to perform all activities-issueng and administering workpermit in Tanzania.
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