Rungwe Tea Factory workers’ fate to be known on Thursday as government steps in

Mbeya. The fate of 216 workers at the Rungwe Tea Growers’ Factory in Katumba, Mbeya Region, is expected to be determined on Thursday, October 9, 2025 during a special meeting scheduled to take place in Dodoma.

On October 2, the factory workers staged a peaceful demonstration carrying placards to oppose plans by their employer to terminate their contracts.

They vowed not to leave the factory premises until they received their dues amounting to more than Sh2.17 billion.

A representative of the Wakulima Tea Company (WATCO) board of directors, advocate Essau Sengo, had pledged to present the workers’ concerns to the employer and provide feedback by Monday.

Following the protest, the Tea Board of Tanzania (TBT) dispatched a delegation to Rungwe to listen to the workers’ grievances.

The Board urged them to remain calm as the issue was being addressed, assuring them that a resolution would soon be reached.

During an online meeting held on Monday involving government officials, stakeholders, and the Tanzania Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union (TPAWU), it was agreed that an official meeting be convened in Dodoma on Thursday to decide the matter.

TPAWU Secretary-General Jacline Novat urged workers to remain calm and patient while awaiting Thursday’s discussions.

“The main complaint from the workers is being dismissed without receiving their rightful dues. We urge them to be patient until Thursday, when a lasting solution is expected,” she said.

The director general of the Tea Board of Tanzania, Beatrice Banzi, confirmed that all relevant stakeholders had been engaged and that the government had already sent formal invitations for the Dodoma meeting.

“The government has taken its steps carefully, involving all parties. We ask everyone to stay calm as the process unfolds,” said Ms Banzi.

Workers’ Claims Committee chairperson, Robert Shayo, said the employees would continue working at the factory until they received their full entitlements.

“We commend the government for its intervention, but our position remains unchanged, we will continue working until our rights are settled,” said Mr Shayo.