Regional union bosses differ over approach to integration

Arusha. Francis Atwoli and Nicholas Mgaya may be likened to pairs given their similar roles in the labour movements of Kenya and Tanzania respectively.

 While the former is a powerful secretary general of the Central Organisation of Trade Union (Cotu) in Kenya the latter holds the same title in the Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (Tucta) and is known for having caused a big scare a few years ago when he nearly mobilised workers for a nation-wide strike.

 The two vocal trade unionists were in Arusha last week and did not waste time to get their views out on what the East African Community (EAC) partners should do to improve a lot for millions of the toiling workers. But their remarks indicated how the region, or Kenya and Tanzania, remain sharply divided over the issue of work permits, in particular.    

A fiery Atwoli made clear his position that the workers’ rights know no boundaries. He wants to see all work permits within East Africa removed, leading to free movement and full liberalisation of the labour market to ensure the economies of EAC partner states got the best skills.

 “There was a dream by Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and Dr Milton Obote to unite our three countries. Why is it now that our countries are divided on a myriad of issues such as the work permits?” he asked.

 He added: “If we want to speed up integration, we have to open up our borders to enable our people to get employment,” he said, wondering why there were intra-regional barriers for skilled people at a time many when experts from the region are going to overseas to seek better paying jobs.

 Mr Mgaya outlined problems which have hindered regional integration, including IDs which, unfortunately, Tanzania, Burundi and Uganda do not have like their Kenyan and Rwanda counterparts. “Kenya had IDs before uhuru [independence]; “so we cannot be talking in the same language”, he said.

 He defended Tanzania for being cautious on the issue of work permits, saying before opening its doors to workers from outside, the country must conduct what he described as ‘skills audit’ or ‘manpower survey’ to know what experts were available and the gaps that need to be filled.

 He concurred that Kenya and Rwanda had made work permits free among the nationals of the two countries. Uganda recently joined the league. However, he said not all work permits sought by the nationals of the two states were successful.

 “About 80 per cent of work permit applications are turned down,”  he said without revealing the source of his information. However, the Tucta boss dwelt on the need for the country to put ‘national interests’ first in ensuring that only the positions which have no qualified Tanzanians were filled by foreign nationals.

 He added that contrary to perception among some people within East Africa, the quality of Tanzanian professionals such as the medical doctors was high compared with that of their counterparts elsewhere and that there was no need to doubt the skills of the local experts.

 But Mr Atwoli went further in criticizsng some leaders in the region and he had reason to do so. He is the chairman of the East African Trade Union Confederation (EATUC), an umbrella body of trade union organisations from the five partner states.

 “Borderless East Africa is only possible if our regional leaders implement what they have been preaching all along,” he said, citing the EAC Common Market Protocol in which members of the bloc have committed themselves to implement but with little being done.

 When pressed further on the slowdown in the regional integration, the outspoken trade unionist did not hide his feelings that some partner states had more barriers to cross-border trade than others. He said Tanzania, in particular, had imposed stringent conditions to enable non-nationals from EA to get work permits.