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Twiga Cement crisis yet to be resolved
2006-08-06 08:28:36
By Correspondent Michael Haonga
Over 180 casual labourers of a Dar es Salaam-based company, Hoageys (T) Limited, who were verbally fired on Thursday this week, have vowed to continue assembling at the company’s grounds pending final settlement of their dues.
The company fired them allegedly for non-compliance to contractual agreement for loading, off loading and other daily chores at one of the country’s leading cement producing companies, Twiga Cement Limited.
The move was allegedly in retaliation to having contravened earlier contractual agreement reached last month to the effect that the workers should not engage in any work strike until the laid down mechanism for amicable settlement had been exhausted.
Journalists witnessed the Hoageys (T) Ltd management accompanied by uniformed policemen ordering the striking casual workers that effective 3/08/2006 they were no longer contracted to work as casual workers the Twiga Cement compound.
Efforts by journalists to get information from the management failed because the contracted company’s Director, Japhet Mwijarubi, declined to comment,.
’’Who has called you to come here?’’ he asked furiously, walking away towards his office, declaring, ’’Anyone coming to our office would be regarded as a tresspaser.”
The casual workers said later that they would exhaust all laid down procedures to fight for their rights through the country’s laid down mechanism from bottom to the highest possible authorities.
This was the second time in less than a month for the causal workers to down their tools in demand of fairness in remuneration.
In the earlier strike in the middle of last month, they were convinced and resumed work on the same day after the Dar es Salaam Regional Trade Union of Industrial and Commercial Institutions Organization (TUICO) leadership, striking casual workers representatives and the company’s management resolved to work round the clock to arrive at an amicable settlement on the workers fair payment demands.
Among other things, the tripartite session came up with an agreement under which the casual workers would be paid 3,500/= per day effective 1st August 2006.
The workers said failure by the company’s management to pay the agreed amount on schedule prompted the workers to lay down tools yesterday, to pressure the management to live up to its promise.
The striking casual workers in separate response to journalists said instead of being paid the promised 3,500/= on that date they received forms of new contractual engagement for them to sign under which they were required to accept 1,850/= per day contrary to earlier agreement.
The move by the 180 casual workers apparently affected the company’s operations.
The gravity of the striking casual workers has forced the contracted company to start recruting new casual workers. This reporter saw a long queue of job seekers at its premises.
The workers, most of them casual, said that they are paid 54,000/- per month in two instalments of 20,000 every fortnight, with the balance being paid at the end of the month.
They also said they had thrice sought a meeting with the management to address their grievances in vain.
In response to their demand for a meeting, they said, the management surprised them with a notice requiring them to apply afresh for the same positions before July 21 this year.
A senior executive agreed with the irate workers that the pay structure had contravened labour laws, which provide that casual workers be paid on a daily basis.
Thereafter he convinced the workers to resume work pending a solution that both sides would be comfortable with.
Hoageys (T) Ltd management promised trade union leaders that it would strive for a better and agreeable solution.
Mwijarubi said then that some of the demands raised by the workers were not realistic. He admitted, however, that the workers are paid a total of 54,000/- per month .
He said that, in addition to wages, the company also provides free meals and medical care.
During the previsous strike, the Twiga Cement Executive Director, Gideon Nasari, said the industrial action would not affect supply of the building material as the firm had many bags of cement in store at the Ubungo deport and another consigment stocked at the Harbour depot, both in Dar es Salaam.
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