|
NBC saga:Workers’union says strike inevitable
2005-10-21 07:56:38
By Joyce Mkinga
While the government and NBC Limited have agreed to pay workers 50 per cent of their monthly basic salary for all their years of service prior to June 2005, the Tanzania Union of Industrial and Commercial Workers (TUICO) said yesterday the workers will not accept the award until the management accepts to sign the disputed voluntary agreement.
The government has agreed to pay the workers a total of 2.8bn/- up to 2000 when ABSA took over the management of the bank. ABSA will pay them 941.7m/-.
The sum of money the bank and government will pay out totals 3.8bn/-.
TUICO said workers would not accept the offer until the NBC management agreed on the five per cent of monthly contribution for future benefits.
’There is no worker who is ready to take the money until the five per cent issue is resolved, or else the planned strike is inevitable,’ said TUICO secretary-general Boniface Nkakatisi, adding that the strike could start any time if the stand off persists.
Speaking at his office yesterday, Nkakatisi said it was the NBC management that had suggested a five per cent contribution.
However, if the figure is too high, he said the workers would be willing to settle for a better alternative.
In the voluntary agreement signed between ABSA and TUICO, which the management has refused to sign, it was agreed that from July 2005, five per cent of monthly basic salary would be contributed by NBC up to time an employee leaves the bank.
According to the government statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Labour, Youth Development and Sports.
Abubakar Rajabu, the bank that comprise ABSA Group Limited (55 per cent), the government (30 per cent) and International Finance Corporation (15 per cent) declined to award the five per cent contribution.
Rajabu said that in the stakeholders special meeting held under Prof Juma Kapuya’s chairmanship in July 2005, it was agreed that the five per cent contribution would have a negative impact on future investments in Tanzanian economy.
’The government as one of the stakeholders of the NBC decided to play an active role in resolving the stalemate in the negotiations between NBC management and TUICO, which act on behalf of the employee,’ he said.
Responding on the statement the TUICO general-secretary said it was surprising that the government has decided to support the bank, while is supposed to be neutral.
|
