TAZARA fires over 1,000 workers

OVER 1,000 Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) workers have been fired for deliberately absconding from work due to outstanding salaries, resulting in the company losing almost US$600,000 (about K3 million).
On August 23, 2013, unionised employees of the TAZARA decided to withdraw their labour, demanding to be paid their salaries for May, June, July and August 2013.
TAZARA acting managing directors Ronald Phiri said the shareholding governments are aware that the company needs recapitalisation.
The two governments are discussing the way forward to ensure that operations are improved through recapitalisation as discussed at the last two council of ministers’ meetings in June, 2012 and February 2013,
“With immediate effect, 1,067 employees that opted to abandon the duties and have been reported as not working on August 26 and August 27, 2013 have been dismissed and their services are no longer required. We are expecting to receive this money by August 29, 2013.
Consequently, the company is suffering huge losses of not less than US$150,000 every day, which means that it has lost about US$600,000 of potential revenue in the last four days specifically as a result of this labour withdrawal in Tanzania,” he said.
Mr Phiri said in a statement availed to the Daily Mail yesterday.
He said the shareholding governments will provide the company with some working capital to sustain the operations, including payment of all outstanding salaries.
He said all operations on the Tanzanian side have been paralysed as no cargo is moving in or out of Tanzania and all passenger trains have been cancelled due to the uncompromising position that the unionised workers have taken,.
Mr Phiri said management has made several attempts to resolve the issue with the union leaders but the union has responded in writing that they are not willing to talk or work until they are paid all the outstanding salaries.