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Waiting eagerly for the May Day-promised pay rise
2007-05-10 09:08:20
By Chris Joe
May Day has gone, but it will come back next year for those of us who will still be eking out a living from our offices (?).
Maybe it will seem too ambitious for us to ask what the next May Day will bring for us before we start enjoying the fruits of this year`s May Day.
Talking of this year`s May Day fruits, we have only a few weeks to wait. The fruits are ripening on the tree branches and from the look of it, we are going to have quite a bumper harvest, unless some hurricane appears from some dark corner of this world to destroy the juicy fruits.
You see, this year`s Ma Day came with very interesting news, especially to the toiling worker, whether in government service or private sector.
Well, what else but the news on the minimum pay, which our representatives told the government to make it a hefty 315,000/-. In fact some local paper said it was 350,000/-. These local papers confuse us, but I wish the latter figure was correct.
Our colleagues in the government sector can rest assured that come July (?), I mean at the end of July this year, they should sport trousers or bags with pockets large enough to accommodate that lumpsome. If they want some free advice, well, don’t trust the banks.
Keep the lot in your pocket and cover the pocket entrance and the lining with sharp needles and razor blades in order to deal with the long fingers of pick-pickets. Waipate fresh.
But those in the private sector should also rest assured of the same amount, for, did they not say the minimum wage was for every worker?
That is the meaning of minimum wage. Those who can pay more, God bless them, but no employer should pay less than the minimum wage to his or her employee.
The government has said nothing about this figure, which should not worry anybody. They say to keep quiet is to ascent. Just like in those days when our womenfolk used to be shy.
If their answer to your advances was yes, they found their tongues too heavy to pronounce the word ‘yes’ and then their eyes would also be too heavy to look you in the eye. So they would just keep quiet.
If you are watchful you will notice them digging the poor soil with their toes and wringing their fingers. Of course, there were exceptions like there always are in every field.
Alas!! No more such romantic gestures these days. A stare for a stare, and when it is a `yes`, it comes out straight - loud and clear, and sometimes it comes out even before you finish the sentence.
Sometimes, if you are not prepared, you find yourself on the receiving end of the questions. Bang!!, ``I love you Joe, how about tonight at such and such exotic joint, I will pay the bill, so don’t worry.`` You are perplexed, tongue-tied. What do you do in such circumstances?
Sorry for getting carried away by the changing realities in life. But this has something to do with the hefty pay we are all anticipating come July, because some of us are already planning to add another `house` or two.
You know what I mean, unless you are new in this beloved country of ours.
This also reminds me of many yesteryears. Some of you will remember the Sites and Services money for which Tanzania Housing Bank (THB) was established to issue loans to middle and low income earners for the express purpose of building a house.
The loan was for 5,000/-(quite some money then) but some bongolanders put the money to irrelevant use.
Some took in a second wife and a third; others just acquired a second house and a third, as I said above. Some simply moved to some sumptuous hotels to `eat` the money.
A considerable rise in divorce cases was reported.
So, we are all waiting for the `big money` with a good measure of hope unless some malicious genie comes around to whisper some nasty things in the government ears. And we all know who the genie is, don`t we? This time, God will not allow her to spoil our happiness.
The good thing is that things have changed, and people have changed too, with time, not only in the romantic side, but also on the economic plane.
I will be surprised if anyone will use the rise in monthly pay to add a wife or even a `house`, let alone moving into some five star hotel.
So, the government should not harbour any hesitation in approving the pay rise, because the money will be put to good use.
Children will not only go to school, but they will go to school with their tummies full. They will eat well and learn well and get sick less because their health will improve.
As it is now, life is real tough. The parent, who is a worker, has to make a bitter decision whether to give his son or daughter fare for the bus or buy some kitumbua for the child. Normally the child goes to school on an empty stomach.
Obviously the child`s learning will be problematic and the same with the parent who spends the whole day in the office on an empty stomach. How can you blame him or her for low productivity?
One who does not eat well is vulnerable to a myriad of diseases, which will further weaken the body and produce less and earn less and eat less. A vicious circle, indeed.
But when the parent is paid well, his children will eat well and learn well, and therefore their parent will worry less, and therefore he will be more productive at his place of work and so the economy will grow and therefore the nation will prosper. The people will be happy. And there will be peace. AMEN.
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