A Term Paper on

TRADE UNION IN TANZANIA

For partial fulfilment of the requirements of the course GNS 301

Instructor: Mr Adediran

Submitted by
name
matric

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TRADE UNION IN TANZANIA

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PAPER CONTENTS:
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
DETAILED CONTENTS
CONCLUSION
Reference

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ABSTRACT

The trade union was established under the federation of employees known as
‘Trade union Congress of Tanzania’ (TUCTA). Trade union was established
in order to observe employees’ rights inside and outside of working place as
well as to observe their beneficiaries concerning their salaries. This paper
will observe in detail the role of TUCTA as federation of Tanzanian
employees,its responsibilities, its success and failures as well as challenges
that lead to failure of the federation. But also this paper will observe what
the employees (as members of the union) and the government can do in
order to meet success toward employees and nation development in general.

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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 History and Background of TRADE UNION;

The historical background of TUCTA traced back since colonial period. The
first Tanganyika trade union, the Motor Drivers' Union, was founded in
1927. The roots of the modern Tanzanian labor movement reach back to the
1940s. By 1947, five unions had been registered with the authorities. In
1955, seventeen trade unions finally merged to create the Tanganyika
Federation of Labor (TFL). 

In 1956, the Federation of Zanzibar and Pemba Trade Unions (ZPFL) was
founded with assistance from Tanganyika unionists. During the first half of
the 1960s the Zanzibar labor movement flourished. During the 1964
revolution, the labor movement collaborated with peasants to overthrow the
Sultan.

In 1977, the ruling parties of Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania, the TANU
and the ASP merged to form Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM). The Union of
Tanzanian Workers or Jumuiya ya Wafanyakazi Tanzania (JUWATA) was
thus founded in the following year. In 1995, the eleven national unions
decided to form the Federation of Free Trade Unions (TFTU). Bruno
Mpangala was its Secretary General. The membership was approximately
348,000, but declined in the following years,
In 1998, the Trade Union Act No. 10 made trade unions independent of the
government which is now TUCTA. The act does not apply to Zanzibar and

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Pemba. These islands have a similar law, which allows unions to be formed
and registered with the Registrar of Trade Unions at Zanzibar.
In 2000, the Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA) was founded as a
new umbrella organization for the unions of the country. The main
difference between it and its predecessor is that the TUCTA covers only
mainland Tanzania, the Zanzibar Trade Union Congress being responsible
for Zanzibar.

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 CHAPTER TWO

RELATED ORGANIZATIONS WITH TUCTA

TUCTA is working closely with related organizations in order to meet is

goals.Foreaxample TUCTA is working with International
LabourOrganisation(ILO), Ministry of Work of Tanzania, Association of
Tanzania Employers(ATE) and Occupational Safety and Health Authority
(OSHA)

3.0 Trade union movement in Tanzania;

Following the process of democratization in the country a new law on trade

unions (the Trade Union Act No. 10 of 1998 was enacted. The enactment of
the Trade Unions Act was an attempt by the government to implement the
ILO Convention No. 87 Concerning Freedom of Association and the
Protection of the Right to Organize. Since year 2000 fifteen free and
independent sector trade unions have been formed.
Eleven sector trade unions are affiliated to the national center the Trade
Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA). TUCTA represents the majority of
the organized labor in the country. Total membership of TUCTA is about
300,7461 as indicated in the table below:

Trade unions affiliated to TUCTA and membership

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 UNION ACTUAL MEMBERSHIP
MEN WOMEN TOTAL
TUGHE 16,008 13,220 29,328
CHODAWU 12,000 6,953 18,953
TALGWU 17,984 17,404 35,388
TAMICO 8,595
TRAWU 12,087 713 12,800
TASU 407 23 430
TPAWU 24,850 7,572 32,322
CWT 75,000 42,000 117,000
TUICO 26,560 8,970 35,530
TUJ 125 25 150
RAAWU 10,250
TOTAL 300,746

Source: TUCTA records 2003

Trade union and political parties involvement;

Trade unions’ role in solving workers problems in Tanzania has been

minimal. As Gompers (1987) argues, trade unions need to get involved in
politics so as to ensure
that those who acquire political leadership will be the ones to formulate
policies that are employees’ friendly. Contrary to this suggestion, trade
unions in Tanzania do not seem to
use political parties to champion their interests and as a result they appear to
have been ignored by political parties.The question that many workers asks
themselves is that why trade unions are politically inactive despite the
existence of various factors that could have acted as a catalyst to their
political struggle? These factors include aspects such as the existence of
various workers’ problems like poor working conditions, low wages/salaries
and policies that are unfriendly to workers, an enabling legal framework,

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trade unions’ internal democracy and the role of other civil society
organizations in politics.
Martin, R. (1989) contended that in order to make sure that trade unions
keep their mouths shut; various laws are always introduced to control these
unions. Various laws were introduced by the government in order to control
trade unions in Tanzania. For example in 2012 the strike which was called
by the Tanzania teachers demanding their beneficiaries like wages and good
working condition was failed due to political circumstances.
The provisions of the Employment and labor relations Act No.6 of 2004
(which repealed the trade unions Act of 1998) and the NGOs Act of 2002 do
not prohibit trade unions from participating in politics and yet trade unions
are politically inactive.
Mpangala, G (2006) proposes that in order for civil society organizations to
play a significant role in politics, they must be democratic so as to have
social and political legitimacy of influencing the political system. Trade
unions in Tanzania have been to a great extent characterized by democratic
elements such as participation and competition as these are provided for in
the unions’ constitutions and adhered to by the trade unionists, independent
of controls from any political party. But the problem is how people who
have the responsibilities to demonstrate politics in the union being
individualists. A good example is the TRAU union ‘the union of the workers
in Railways” who protest in 2008demanding their better wages and good
environment condition but the union leaders with the collaboration with the
government officials manipulated the protest and became week. In that case
the participation of the Trade union in political affairs has great impacts
within the union and to the government development. Otherwise in order for
the workers union to remain free its better to be free practicing its own
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politics within the union. It should not be influenced with the government
politics.
The opposition parties such as Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo
(CHADEMA) and
Civic United Front (CUF) have been recently gaining some popularity in
Tanzanian politics, as marked by the increase of electoral competition at
constituencies’ level between the ruling party’s candidates and those of
opposition parties, they still trail very far behind to help the trade union. For
example in his address to Dar es Salaam elders on 3rd, May, 2010, the
president of the United Republic of Tanzania Mr. JakayaKikwete posed
various threats to Trade Unions Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA) which had
called a nationwide workers’ strike on 5th, May, 2010 to demand for more
wages and other benefits. In that address, he was quoted as saying “I do not
lie to workers by promising what the government cannot afford, even if it
would mean losing the election. Even if they go on strike indefinitely, we
shall not yield to these demands. We are not afraid of the threat that workers
would not vote for us”. He also insisted that even if workers decided not to
vote for him, he could get the votes elsewhere (Daily News, Tuesday, May
4th, 2010). In fact it was expected that due this statement of the president of
the country, the opposition parties could stand still debating against it and
help trade union to continue with the protest. In other African countries such
as Zambia, Zimbabwe, Senegal and Ghana, opposition political parties have
been stable and strong.

Involvement of TUCTA in solving workers problems;

Workers under Trade union Congress of Tanzania face several problems as

such as poor working condition, low salaries. Workers under this federation
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were blaming for the policies being much considering foreigners than the
indigenous workers. For example in most cases you can find foreign workers
paid much salary and working in a conducive environment than the
indigenous workers. Also bad enough those workers who work in public
sectors paid less than those who works in private sectors.

The conflict within Tanzania Railways Limited (TRL) between the workers
and the management was due to the policy which put more emphasize to
foreigner investors than the workers (Mtanzania, March 5th, 2010).This
situation results to poor performance of the Railways, life hardship of the
workers as well as the economy of the country.

CHAPTER THREE

FAILURE OF THE UNION TO SOLVE WORKERS PROBLEMS;

In most cases the failure of the trade union to solve workers problems is due
to the following factors;

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Conflicts and individualism among trade union leaders;
Internal conflicts within the unions. The main sources of these disorders
include financial matters and the struggle for identity. Financial conflicts
have involved allegations of embezzlement of the unions’ money like what
took place in TUCTA where its secretary general was suspended over the
allegations of financial mismanagement in 2009. The secretary was accused
of using the funds of the trade union for personal gains.

Absence of solidarity among workers in the union and the unions

themselves;
Due to their failure to establish a strong solidarity that could have helped
them stand as a strong collective force. It is evident that trade unions in
Tanzania for most of the time have tended to pursue individualistic
approaches. Each trade union seems only concerned with the affairs directly
related to it and as a result there have been no partnership among these
unions in addressing various problems that are affecting the workers (Shivji,
I.G. (1983). There are various views on the lack of trade unions’ solidarity in
Tanzania. One of those views is that which associates lack of solidarity with
the continuing increase in number of trade unions. Currently there are 24
registered trade unions in Tanzania. However, the increase in number of
trade unions does not seem to go hand in hand with a recognition that the
prevailing circumstance calls for more partnership among these unions in
advancing the interests of their members. As regards the lack of solidarity
and partnership among trade unions in Tanzania, Meena (1997) argues; “It is
of interest that teachers were alone in this struggle.

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They did not get support from other workers who were going through more
or less similar crises. If all trade unions with the same crises joined together
they could defeat the government for their demand 1993 incident in which
teachers in Dar es Salaam called for a strike against the government in
demand for improved working conditions and social welfare as well as
higher pay. Tanzania Railways Limited (TRL). Since 2008 TRL workers
were raising various claims against the new management but they did not get
support from other trade unions.

Leadership failure;
From a management point of view, it is the role of a leader to show the
mission and vision of the organization. As Ibreck (2009:9) emphasizes,
leadership is a process of social influence in which one person is able to
influence and enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a
common task. the experience in Tanzania shows that trade unions have had
weak leadership. It is only Tanzania Railway Workers Union (TRAWU) and
teachers’ trade unions (CWT) leaders who seem at least active in
challenging government decisions and actions.

The leaders of the two unions have been at least using various means such as
boycotts, strikes and the media to influence the government. While the two
unions above have been trying to influence the government, TUCTA, which
is an umbrella union, remain quietly, financial resources and limited
commitment of member unions, it is evident that the leadership of this
umbrella union has not been effective.

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 CHAPTER FOUR

CHALLENGES FACING TRADE UNIONS IN THE AREA OF

EMPLOYMENT;

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Unemployment rate is currently rising rapidly mainly due to the joint effects
of slow job creation rate and rapid labour force growth rate ( Masanja A.
2004).Majority of the youth who graduate in thousands at all levels of
education form primary to university are unable to find employment.
Growth of the informal sector poses a big challenge to the country as well as
to the trade union (ibid).On the other hand the informal sector is the provider
of the jobs and livelihoods for many people. Its contribution to the GDP is
also significant.

Casualization of the labour force, outsourcing and practice of short term

contracts plus the earlier stated problems have resulted to in great loss of
trade union members and revenue to sustain trade union activities(TUCTA
reprt,2004).
Collecting bargening is weakened and discouraged by new employers. They
prefer and entertain individual contracts (ibid). This is the one of the
indicators of the anti union attitude of the new employers, which trade
unions have to cope with.

Success areas of the Trade union;

In April TUCTA announced it would hold a nationwide strike starting on

May 5, if the government failed to increase salaries to TZS 315,000 ($214),
reduce income taxes, and address pension disparities.
Although TUCTA and the government entered into negotiations through the
Commission for Mediation and Arbitration, TUCTA continued to threaten to
strike. On May 3, President Kikwete publicly criticized union officials and
warned workers not to take part in the strike. TUCTA called off the strike
the day before it was scheduled to start. On May 8, TUCTA and the
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government agreed to continue their negotiations. In mid-June the
government reached an agreement with TUCTA to increase minimum wages
and exempted low wage government workers from income tax (Daily News,
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010).
Also in the financial year 2012/2013 the government reduced income tax by
only 1% to the workers. This amount was criticized much by the union
although the government didn’t put in consideration.

CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS;

Trade unions’ passivity has also been seen to be due to individualism and
conflicts within trade unions. The paper has also clearly indicated that trade
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unions are politically weak because they still embrace the passive culture
and are also excessively relying on the ideology of economist in which
politics is not regarded as part of trade unionism. In addition, the leadership
of trade unions, especially that of TUCTA has been weak and it has failed to
create a sense of collective spirit among its member unions.
The only solution that could help the workers under trade union is to
develop solidarity among the workers and the unions. Also the opposition
political parties should stand to their positions observing what the
government is doing respectively to the workers and coming with a strong
stands to make sure that workers rights are observed like what other
opposition parties doing in countries like Zambia, Zimbabwe, Senegal and
Ghana.

REFERENCES

Baregu, M. (1993).The Economic Origins of Political Liberalization and

Future Prospects. In Bagachwa, M.S.D &Mbele, A.V.Y (eds).

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 Economic Policy Under Multiparty System in Tanzania. Dar es
Salaam University Press, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Chambua, S (2002). Democratic Participation in Tanzania: The Voices of

Workers Representatives. Dar es Salaam University Press.

Daily News, Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

Gompers, S. (1987). Labour and the Common Welfare.In Werther W.B.

Personnel Management and Human Resources.McGraw-Hill Book
Company New York.

Gonza, J.M (2005). “Workers and Unemployment”. A paper presented at the

conference on the state of Politics in Tanzania held at the University
of Dar es Salaam.

Ibreck, J. (2009). Leadership as Key to Radical Socio-Economic and

Religious
Transformation for Tanzania. Reality: The Basis of Moral Leadership and
Integral Human Development. Christian Professional of Tanzania
(CPT)

Kiondo, A.S and Nyang’oro J.E (eds). Civil Society and Democratic
Development in Africa.Harare, Zimbabwe

Martin, R. (1989). Trade Unionism: Purposes and Forms. Oxford: Clarendon

Press.
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Masanja A (TUCTA), Hassan R.(FES) (2004), A country report during the
course on Trade union Training on Employment Policies and Poverty
Reduction Strategies; ILO in Turin-Italy.

Meena, R. (1997). The State and Civil Society in Tanzania: The State of Art.
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Mtanzania, March 5th, 2010

Mukandala, R.S.&Bana, B. (2006). The search for independent organization;

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Shivji, I.G. (1983). Working Class Struggles and Organisation in Tanzania,

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