Herbalist Dr MziziMkavu
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 3, 2009
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FULL STORY: THE Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA) has postponed its planned industrial action which was to begin tomorrow, but maintained that their demands are valid and that the countrywide strike is being halted temporarily.
TUCTAs next move would be determined after May 8 meeting, said its president, Mr Omary Ayoub Juma today at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conference hall in Dar es Salaam.
We wish to announce that protest action planned for tomorrow (today) has been suspended for a while, said Mr Juma calmly.
He was flanked by Deputy Secretary General Nicholas Mgaya and TUCTAs Central Council members. Mr Juma pleaded for patience amongst members and trust to their leadership, while waiting for the outcome of negotiations to be held this weekend.
Notwithstanding the postponement of the strike, TUCTA cried foul over what they described as unfair remarks made by the president basing on one-sided information. They claimed that the president has been misled on all issues the parties agreed to disagree creating the impression that their leadership was lying to its members.
They were referring to their demands on minimum wage for workers from the public sector, private sector and pension benefits. The agenda on the issue of minimum wages on the part of the public sector workers was closed after the disagreements.
But to their surprise, they claimed that the president has been misinformed that the matter would feature in the agenda of Saturdays meeting. He said TUCTA proposed that pension schemes be harmonised to offer better packages like PSPF, but today they claimed that the government diverted from key issue and emphasized the question of establishing regulatory authority.
The workers congress further claimed that they proposed that tax deduction on salaries be reduced to single digit of at least 9 per cent and the government promised to study on whether the rate be reduced to 15 per cent and 13 per cent.
The meeting on Saturday will discuss one agenda of PAYE deductions, but we believe the president will also tackle other contentious issues, the congress noted.
They faulted the announcement on minimum wage for private sector workers made by the Minister for Labour, Employment and Youth Development as illegal, because it violated the Labour Regulations No.7 of 2004.
The minister ought to announce minimum wages for the private sector after the consultation with Sectoral Minimum Wage Boards; hence the proposal made to the Legal Economic and Social Council (LESCO) was the ministers personal opinion, according to the unionists.
In justifying that the president has been misled, TUCTA distributed a copy of a letter written to invite TUCTA leadership to a meeting at 2.30pm, contrary to presidents remarks that they were invited to a meeting at 10am and turned up at 3.00pm.
The letter was issued by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs with Reg. No. TYC/BW/280/69 of April 22, this year, signed by Mr Shogholo Msangi for the Permanent Secretary.
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