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Tanzania's Trade unions seek bold reforms for private sector workers
Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (Tucta), Mr Tumaini Nyamhokya speaks in a past event. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- He commended the government’s commitment to addressing salary grievances in the public sector and urged similar interventions for private sector workers, stressing the need for a fairer and more inclusive economic framework.
Dar es Salaam. As Tanzania joins the rest of the world in commemorating International Labour Day, workers across the country, particularly in the private sector, are calling on the government to take bold and decisive steps to improve their welfare.
Leaders of various trade union groups reiterated to The Citizen their longstanding demands for enhanced employee welfare, citing persistent challenges in the private sector despite strides made in improving conditions in public service.
Their concerns echoed recent sentiments expressed by the president of the Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (Tucta), Mr Tumaini Nyamhokya, who highlighted the growing disparity between the public and private sectors in terms of employee welfare.
“Employees promoted to new job grades have received average salary increments of between Sh200,000 and Sh300,000. With such promotions, staff no longer push for minor increments of Sh20,000 or Sh50,000,” Mr Nyamhokya noted.
He commended the government’s commitment to addressing salary grievances in the public sector and urged similar interventions for private sector workers, stressing the need for a fairer and more inclusive economic framework.
While presenting a Sh1.354 trillion budget for the 2025/26 financial year, the minister of State in the President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance), Mr George Simbachawene, told the parliament that between July 2024 and March 2025, the government made notable progress in personnel management.
“This includes 34,195 new or replacement appointments, 1,206 employment status changes, 20,107 data verifications, 1,912 salary adjustments, and 1,142 personal salary updates,” Mr Simbachawene informed the house.
The secretary general of the Tanzania Teachers Union (TTU), Mr Joseph Misalaba, confirmed that the union currently has no outstanding claims against the government, attributing the resolution of most issues to ongoing collaboration with key state institutions.
“TTU, in partnership with PO-RALG, the ministry of Finance and other stakeholders, conducted countrywide outreach to identify and resolve challenges facing teachers. As a result, promotions and arrears have been processed. We wholeheartedly support the President’s initiatives,” he said.
The chairperson of the Transport and Retail Allied Workers Union (Trawu), Mr Jacob Shindika, urged the government to address longstanding issues, including the unresolved 2013 collective bargaining agreement for workers under the Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) and the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara).
“Tazara employees have not received their salaries since February. The arrears are piling up, and the situation is worsening. We urge the government to fast-track investor engagement to revitalise Tazara’s operations and safeguard workers’ livelihoods,” Mr Shindika appealed.
The Secretary General of the Tanzania Union of Industrial and Commercial Workers (Tuico), Mr Paul Sangeze, noted that while public sector employees have benefited from salary improvements, private sector workers remain left behind.
“In the public sector, salaries are relatively fair. But in the private sector, we expect concrete announcements to uplift low-income earners,” he said.
Mr Said Wamba, secretary general of the Conservation, Hotels, Domestic and Allied Workers Union (Chodawu), also emphasised the growing economic pressure facing workers.
“A salary increase would be a welcome relief. Rising costs of living are straining workers, and we hope the President will direct the salary board to review the national minimum wage for both sectors,” he said.
In response, the CEO of the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE), Ms Suzanne Ndomba-Doran, said salary adjustments in the private sector are typically governed by collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) and internal policies.
“CBAs play a central role in regulating salary structures and employment conditions in unionised private firms. These agreements are the product of negotiations between employers and employees,” she said.
In 2022, President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced a 23.3 percent salary increment for public servants effective 1 July. For those earning the then minimum wage of Sh300,000, this translated to an additional Sh69,900 in gross pay. After deductions for pension contributions (five percent) and Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax, the take-home pay rose to approximately Sh344,893.
That same year, the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar raised the public sector minimum wage by between 15.6 and 19 percent, bringing it to Sh347,000. For example, an arts certificate holder employed in 2019 saw their monthly pay increase from Sh321,000 to Sh382,000.
In the private sector, Minister of State in the Office of Labour, Economy and Investment, Mr Mudrick Ramadhan Soraga, announced in March 2023 a new minimum wage of Sh347,000—an increment from the earlier Sh300,000.
