Employers urged to implement wages rise, safeguard rights

Vice President Dr Philip Mpango speaks at an event organised by the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) to award the best employer of 2022 held in Dar es Salaam over the weekend. PHOTO | VPO

What you need to know:

  • Vice President Dr Philip Mpango urged employers to ensure that they consider the rights of their employees in accordance with labour contracts.

Dar es Salaam. The government has directed all employers to provide the rights and entitlements of workers in accordance with labour contracts, as those in the private sector are required to implement the new minimum wage order that has been predicted to improve the general performance of the labour sector.

Speaking at an event organised by the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) to award the best employer of 2022, Vice President Dr Philip Mpango urged employers to ensure that they consider the rights of their employees in accordance with labour contracts.

“Remember that a delayed right is the same as a denied right; my office has been getting several complaints from various persons who were dismissed, delayed, or had their rights violated,” he noted.

In the awards, Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL), emerged as the winner of the Gender Equality and Equity category.

Dr Mpango asked employers to also comply with existing laws regarding the employment of foreigners, saying, “I know there are employers who have been hiring foreigners even in non-professional jobs, whose expertise can be found in this country.”

“As a result, minister and people, I want you to take appropriate action in accordance with the laws of the country.””For jobs that require experts from abroad (expatriates), I urge employers to put in place a plan to hire local experts to fill those positions after the contracts of the expatriates expire... “

Dr Mpango pleaded with companies to keep advancing employees’ interests in line with production. “Consider how you may better serve the needs of your staff by considering different strategies to help them support themselves in light of the current economic climate.”

For her part, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for Labour, youth, employment, and the disabled, Prof Joyce Ndalichako, emphasised the implementation of salary increments for workers.

She said that the government’s action was motivated by a desire to support both the personal and national growth of its citizens.

According to her, the planning of minimum wages for the private sector was based on research by all parties, including ATE and the Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (Tucta) and she thus had no reason to doubt the decisions.

“So, let me be clear that even though this work has been done in partnership at all levels, we anticipate that no employers will object on January 1, 2023,” she said.

“I will not accept being given a letter from the Vice President pertaining to a certain employer hesitating to implement the new order because there are many such letters. This is our responsibility as employers; we should implement it,” she added.

“Employers need to realize that employees are an important pillar in the success of the activities they carry out, so they have to appreciate and recognize their employees,” she added.

For his part, the President of Tucta, Mr Tumaini Nyamhokya, said that due to the participation of the workers in reaching the decision to increase the salaries, every employer and employee will accept it. “We hope that you, the employers, will pay the new salaries from January, 2023 with a white heart and without any complaints,” he said.