Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr Saidi Meck Sadiki has revealed that Strabag Company will pay its workers their allowances for the months of July and August this year after fruitful discussions held between his office and the company.
The Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner, Mr Saidi Meck Sadiki
Speaking at a press conference in Dar es Salaam, Mr Sadiki said that after he heard that the workers had downed tools on Monday, he decided to go and meet with the company’s management and discussed with it the workers’ genuine demands in order to rescue the situation.
“I discussed with them the workers’ genuine claims and after a long discussion we came to the conclusion that the company will settle the workers’ demands, which include allowances for poor working conditions,” said the RC.
He emphasizes that they had agreed that the allowances would be paid immediately and should not be included in their monthly salaries, adding that his office would ensure that all the grievances regarding the company were sorted out.
The RC said he had already talked to TANROADS about the issue and they had assured him that they didn’t see the logic for not paying allowances since it was in the contract.
Strabag workers based in Dar es Salaam refused to go to work on Monday, claiming that the company had refused to pay their allowances for the months of July and August and decried poor working conditions.
He call upon workers at Strabag company to go and work as usual and promised that his office is working closely to ensure that their claims are addressed.
The construction of Dar es Salaam Rapid Transport (DART) project has resumed to normal after over 800 workers went on strike earlier this Monday claiming for payment of allowances for the month of July and August this year.
The resume came after long hours of conversation between STRABAG, TAMICO and representatives of the workers and agreed on several issues failure to which the strike will continue until their demands are settled.
Abdulkarim Mvano, an environmental manager, expounded that workers had resumed work as talks with the management were going on with the aim of ensuring that the company’s operations continued as usual.
“We have agreed with the management to return to work, but on condition that, come this Saturday, our demands should have been paid, failure of which we will have no option but to go on strike” said Mvano.
This reporter observed workers preparing to depart to their different working stations as tractor and truck drivers also lined up for various assignments. A supervisor in charge of allocating tasks who preferred anonymity praised the workers for their calmness despite the ups and downs which took place and expressed confidence that construction of the roads would continue.
“We hope for the best, especially for what the Strabag management has promised the workers to settle their demands before this weekend” said the supervisor.
The company workers had earlier this week went on strike demanding house, food and transport allowances for the month of July and August which the management had stopped paying after the government’s new salary increments came into force.
The Strabag management stopped paying the allowances after the new salary increment from 150,000/- to 325,000/-, claiming that their budget did not accommodate the payment of the allowances amounting to 65,000/- per worker on top of the new salary.
By ASHERY MKAMA and OCHIENG OGWENO, Tanzania Daily News
