Africa-Press – Tanzania. PRESIDENT Hussein Mwinyi on Saturday graced the Labour Day celebrations with a promise to improve workers’ welfare through increase in salaries and ensuring improvement of working environment.
Speaking at the ‘Sheikh Idrissa Abdulwakil’ Conference Hall yesterday, Dr Mwinyi told workers that the outbreak of Covid-19 disturbed the government plans to increase salaries but pledged to work on the matter as soon as the situation improves. “The government has smooth plans for the welfare of its civil servants.
After basic salary increase, the next step will be to increase the middle class workers like teachers and health workers, but unfortunately the outbreak of Covid-19 has slowed us down,” he noted.
President Mwinyi added that the government is also working hard to introduce the universal national health care insurance.
Earlier, workers requested the government to consider improving health services in the isles by introducing health insurance for all.
He said the government has started to pay workers debts, starting with paying the health sector, “We are committed to pay the debts. We are also reviewing the education policy of 2006 along with curriculum to improve education in the country.”
The president called on workers to continue working hard and ensure all government targets are achieved as planned. “Workers are the engines that enable us to achieve goals, through workers, the government builds the economy and manage to offer various services to all wananchi,” he said.
Commenting on halting Decentralisation by Devolution (D-by-D), the president said executives were not ready for the programme, “We have decided to temporarily halt and will get back to decentralisation policy when more preparations have taken place, because D-by-D is good,” said Dr Mwinyi.
Prior to the president’s speech, the acting General Secretary of Zanzibar Trade Union Congress (ZATUC), Ms Mwatum Khamis Othman highlighted challenges that face workers in Zanzibar, saying government intervention is required to enable workers to continue serving the public diligently.
She commended President Mwinyi for the ongoing efforts that aim at making Zanzibar a better place for both ordinary citizens and workers to live in.
“Improving accountability in public offices, fight against corruption and financial discipline are crucial aspects in bringing justice and development for all,” she noted.
Lack of job promotion, low salary and reluctance by some employers in increasing basic salaries for their staff, delays in settling debts and reforms of salaries for workers with academic upgrading, delays in providing answers to letters and lack of good collaboration were some of the challenges that were raised by ZATUC.
The Minister of State- Labour, Economy, and Investments, Mr Mudrik Soraga said his office works closely with workers through ZATUC to ensure all challenges are resolved.
