Question.

Critically comment on the following statement in the light of the socio-economic conditions of
the working class and the history and the role of trade unions in Tanzania;-
Trade unions, collective bargaining and strikes are luury which develo!ed nations can ill-
afford, the working force of develo!ment in these countries is essentially the !easantry. Trade
"nions, which defend only workers interest inevitably, degenerate into fighting for and securing
!rivileges# for the working class at the e!ense of the nation as whole$
%nswer.
&'T()*"CT&)'.
+iterally, a trade union may be referred to as a union,association com!osed of workers of the
same or of several allied trades. &n other words, -labour union-, -a craft union- or -multi-craft
union#, .industrial union-, -vertical union-. The above !osition is reiterated by the /m!loyment
and +abour (elations %ct 0/+(%1 'o. 2 of 3445 which inter!rets trade union to mean any
number of em!loyees associated together for the !ur!ose, whether by itself or with other
!ur!oses, of regulating relations between em!loyees and their em!loyers or the em!loyers-
associations to which the em!loyers belong. This means, a trade union is an association of
workers, with eclusion of em!loyers- association 0organisation1. 0/+(%, 34451
% strike$ is defined as a total or !artial sto!!age of work by em!loyees if the sto!!age is to
com!el their em!loyer, any other em!loyer or an em!loyer#s association to which the em!loyer
belongs, to acce!t, modify or abandon any demand that may form the sub6ect matter of a dis!ute
of interest. 7owever, the right to strike as enshrined in the /+(% is not an absolute one but a
restricted right 0/+(%, 34451
Collective bargaining is the method of determining the terms of em!loyment relationshi!;
collective bargaining utilizes the !rocess of negotiation between re!resentatives of management
and em!loyees, and results in an agreement which may be a!!lied uniformly across a grou! of
em!loyee#s .The !rocess of negotiating the terms of em!loyment between an em!loyer and a
grou! of workers. The terms of em!loyment are likely to include items such as conditions of
em!loyment, working conditions and other work!lace rules, base !ay, overtime !ay, work hours,
shift length, work holidays, sick leave, vacation time, retirement benefits and health care
benefits.
The working class socio-economic condition
8tarting by tracing the working class of Tanzania it can seen that those class was small. &t was a
transient working class with a high !ro!ortion of migrant labour although there has been a fair
degree of stabilization of migrant labour in the !ost-war years. 9ut certainly the working class
remained essentially rural, the larger !ro!ortion being on the sites of !lantations, largely
unskilled either in the same rural occu!ation or in other s!heres such as the docks where they
remained unorganized.
The Tanzanian working class never achieved a significant measure of inde!endent organization.
%nd it is inde!endent organization which ultimately makes a class. The workers of Tanzania
engaged briefly in the struggle for their own organization in the early :;<4#s
The trade unions which evolved by :;2:-:;23 were still continuing the same tra6ectory as they
had in the anti-colonial struggle, i.e. a tra6ectory designed to ensure that workers were
re!resented and that workers built an inde!endent organ of e!ression. 9ut by :;25 this was
com!letely halted by an attem!ted army mutiny in which some of the trade union leaders were
involved. The government acted to virtually !ut an end to inde!endent trade union organization -
inde!endent meaning inde!endent of the state, inde!endent of the leading !arty.
%s a conse=uence, the working class subse=uently has also been com!eting for !ower through
the dominant !arty, T%'", and through the state. &f the workers had retained an inde!endent
trade union organization, it is conceivable that we would have seen them as the instrument of
their own struggle
The %rusha *eclaration is a starting !oint of modern Tanzania develo!ment. This was a
res!onse to internal crisis, a res!onse to the stagnation of the neo-colonial economy in Tanzania,
and it really marked the failure of the ho!es of the !etty bourgeoisie that international ca!ital
would have entered their situation to strengthen the class in >a? !articular kind of way then after
the economic crisis in :;24#s the working class were dominated by the %sians traders
The im!act of the %rusha *eclaration and the move towards social and towards state controls
over !roduction and distribution has been to shar!en that contradiction between the commercial
!etty bourgeoisie which was a !articular ethnic grou!ing and the bureaucratic !etty bourgeoisie.
&t has been resolved in their favour in the sense that the %sians, for the most !art, seem to have
decided that there is no further stake in /ast %frica; their main concern has been to try to
li=uidate their ca!ital, to try to get it out of the country, which they have done in an infinite
variety of ways
The contradictions between workers and the bureaucrats have really come out in a very shar!
form as the working class itself has advanced in its own clarity, !artially as a result of the same
!olicies which have been !ursued by the government. @ou see the ambivalence of !oliciesA the
elements within the !etty bourgeoisie have allowed for the elaboration of a certain theory of
certain ideas within the Tanzanian environment, which have further strengthened the Tanzanian
working class. %nd the Tanzanian working class makes demands on the system in very
enlightened terms. 'ot merely demands concerning increased wages 0those have been made and
they are necessary to defend living standards of the !o!ulation1, but going beyond that, workers
have in the last several years in Tanzania been making a number of very advanced demands
concerning their role in the !roductive !rocess and in the control of the !roduce !rocess. let#s
now see the history of trade union of Tanzania as we already saw how the working class have
struggle enough to im!rove their working and living condition.
The history of trade union in Tanzania.
Pre-colonial period
%t this !eriod, there were no workers or em!loyers- organisations as labour relations or the two
classes were either not in eistence or eisted in a nascent 0rudimentary1 stage. &n brief, most of
the !re-colonial communities in Tanzania, as Tulia 034:3A:;:1 !ut it, were classless
characterised by reci!rocity and mutuality between members with neither wage labour nor
!ermanent and semi-!ermanent em!loyees, save for domestic slaves at later stages of
develo!ment
Tanzania 0formerly Tanganyika and Banzibar1, unlike any other /ast %frican country, suffered
two successive colonial mastersA the Cermans, from :DD5 to :;:;, and the 9ritish, from :;:;
until the time of inde!endence in :;2:.
Pre- independence era
The first Tanganyikan trade union, the Eotor *rivers- "nion, was founded in :;3F. &n :;GF,
%sian workers founded the %siatic +abor "nion, leading to the founding of numerous unions in
the country. These early organizations were not, however, involved in many industrial conflicts,
their !rimary activity being the organizing of mutual hel! among its members.
The roots of the modern Tanzanian labor movement reach back to the :;54s. 9y :;5F, five
unions had been registered with the authorities. The colonial government reacted to the creation
of unions in Tanzania by enacting laws which allowed it to kee! tabs on the movement for
eam!le, the registration of unions become obligatory. 'onetheless, the labor movement grew,
by :;<2 there were 3G organizations with a total of nearly :G,444 members.
&n :;<<, seventeen trade unions finally merged to create the Tanganyika Hederation of
+abor 0TH+1. &ts original two main ob6ectives were to gain more members and to absorb smaller
unions. *uring the country-s fight for inde!endence, the TH+ collaborated with the Tanganyika
%frican 'ational "nion 0T%'"1, a !arty founded in :;<5, in its fight for the nation-s
inde!endence from the "nited Iingdom achieving this goal in :;2:.
Then Tanganyika Hederation of +abor 0TH+1 was formed in :;<<, when the colonial government
recognized the eistence of trade unions, their registration and regulation. %s in other colonies,
trade unions in Tanganyika were strictly regulated by colonial !olitical economics. 9y :;2F, the
Tanzanian government realized that the inherited 9ritish economy model was not com!atible
with Tanzanian society and declared Tanganyika a socialist state, and aligning trade unions to
the socialist means of !roduction.
Trade Unions under Socialism
National Union of Tanganyika Workers (NUTA1
The 'ational "nion of Tanganyika Jorkers 0'"T%1, became the only trade union in
Tanganyika and was affiliated to the ruling !olitical !arty, Tanganyika %frican 'ational "nion
0T%'"1; it therefore functioned as an arm of the ruling !olitical !arty, commonly referred to as
transmission belt, or an economic develo!ment oriented,state institution$.
)ne of '"T%#s ob6ectives was to !romote the !olicies of T%'" and to encourage its members
to 6oin >T%'"? 0Kratt, :;F2; (wekaza, :;;;1. This a!!roach to organizing a trade union was
unacce!table as it contravened the &nternational +abor )rganization#s 0&+)1 !rinci!le which
sti!ulates thatA governments should not attem!t to transform trade unions into instruments for
!ursuance of !olitical aims$ 0&+), :;;5A <;1.
"nder the !rovisions of the '"T%, if an em!loyee remained out of the trade union after two
months of em!loyment, the em!loyer had the right to terminate his em!loyment 0Eihyo, :;F;A
F5; (wekaza, :;;;1.
This !rovision curtailed the fundamental freedom of association as it reinforced com!ulsory
association aimed at boosting union membershi!, an infringement of the workers# rights to
establish and 6oin organizations of their own choice 0&+), :;;5A 5:1.
The '"T% Ceneral Council was barred from sanctioning or !ro!osing strike action in res!ect of
any labor dis!ute without ehaustive !rocedures sti!ulated by the Trade *is!utes 08ettlement1
%ct of :;23. This !rohibition is incom!atible with &+) convention 'o. DF. )utlawing strikes
and the im!osition of the com!ulsory statutory arbitration virtually abolished the right to free
collective bargaining 0(wekaza, :;;;1.
Conse=uently, '"T% was not allowed to negotiate for conditions of em!loyment for their
members, although it was allowed to advise the government on wages !olicies and other issues
relating to workers 0Eihyo, :;F;1.
Jumuia ya Wafanya kazi Tanzania (JUWATA)
&n :;F; the government declared the "nited (e!ublic of Tanzania following the merger of
mainland Tanganyika and the islands of Banzibar and Kemba. The '"T% was re!laced by
L"J%T% 0L"muia ya Jafanya kazi Tanzania, or Jorkers# Eass )rganization1 for the newly
formed !olitical !arty Chama Cha Ea!induzi 0CCE,or (evolutionary Karty1 and became the
sole trade union in Tanzania, taking care of all labor matters. &n :;D; L"J%T% held elections,
and the newly elected office bearers tried to de-link the trade union from !arty domination,
su!ervision and control 0(wekaza, :;;;1.
L"J%T% was granted relative autonomy with the ado!tion of !olitical !luralism and the
subse=uent multi!arty system in :;;4.)rganisation of Tanzania Trade "nions 0)TT"1
L"J%T% was re!laced by the )rganization of Tanzania Trade "nions 0)TT"1,established
under the )rganization of Tanzania Trade "nion %ct 0:;;:1 as the sole trade union re!resenting
all workers in Tanzania. The main ob6ective of )TT" legislation was to free workers# unions
from the government. This led to the reestablishment of one- industry-one-trade union, leading to
the establishment of the Tanzania (ailway %ssociation of Jorkers "nion 0T(%J"1 which
covered Tanzania Bambia (ailway workers. Conse=uently, :;;3 marked the beginning of the
collective bargaining !rocess in the Tanzania (egion of the Tanzania Bambia (ailway %uthority.
The :;;< elections !aved the way for the establishment of the Trade "nions %ct 0:;;D1 and the
/m!loyment and +abor (elations %ct 034451, realigning Tanzania trade unions to free trade
unionism.
Trade Union Act
&n :;;D, the Trade "nion %ct 'o. :4 made trade unions inde!endent of the government. This
move was mostly su!!orted by the unions, although some as!ects of it were criticized, es!ecially
the etent of the !owers of the (egistrar of Trade "nions. The act allows any twenty workers to
found a trade union and any two unions to create a national center. The (egistrar, which is
res!onsible for administrating the !rovisions of the act may, however, cancel or refuse the
registration of a union.
The act does not a!!ly to Banzibar and Kemba. These islands have a similar law, which allows
unions to be formed and registered with the (egistrar of Trade "nions at Banzibar. &n general the
restrictions on the labor movement on the island are much stricter than on the mainland. Hor
eam!le, workers are legally !rohibited from striking.
TUCTA and ZATUC
&n 3444, the Trade "nion Congress of Tanzania 0T"CT%1 was founded as a new umbrella
organization for the unions of the country. The main difference between it and its !redecessor is
that the T"CT% covers only mainland Tanzania, the Banzibar Trade "nion Congress being
res!onsible for Banzibar.
Therefore, in Tanzania Eainland 0as !er the /+(% and the Constitution1, all em!loyees in the
!rivate and !ublic sectors have the right to form or 6oin trade unions and to bargain collectively,
ece!t for members of the Tanzanian Keo!le-s *efence Horces, the Kolice Horce, the Krisons
8ervice, and 'ational 8ervice. This trend of according wider autonomy to trade unions has been
seen as a way of bursting trade unionism, whereas the law allows multi!licity of trade unions and
federations. &t is believed that some of the trade unions eisting today in Tanzania have been
!ioneered or under the s!onsorshi! of either the government or em!loyers for the !ur!oses of
weakening bargaining !ower or unity among workers. %ll in all, the Covernment has now been
assigned a new role, under the law, of balancing interests of em!loyers on one hand, and those of
workers, on the other.
The role of trade unions in Tanzania
(/H/(/'C/8.
%n %!ril :;F< lecture at 'orth-Jestern "niversity, !ublished in The State in
Tanzania: A Selection of Articles, 7aroub )thman, ed. *ar es 8alaamA *ar es 8alaam
"niversity Kress, :;D4, :D-5:.$class contradictions in Tanzania$ co!yright *ar es
salaam university !ress, :;F< !ublished :;D4.
Eihyo, K.9. 0:;F51 +abour unrest and the =uest for workers- control in Tanzania, /astern %frica
+aw (eview, Mol. FA:5 N :<.
Eihyo, K.9. 0:;F;1 &ndustrial (elations in Tanzania. &n "kandi C. *amachi, &ndustrial (elations
in %frica. Eacmillan Kress +td, +ondon.
(wekaza, 8.E.0:;;;1 Trade Unions in Tanzania: The Case of Tanzania Federation
of Trade Unions (TFTU) 0Civil 8ociety and Covernance
Krogramme1. *ar es 8alaamA "niversity of *ar es 8alaam.
8hiv6i, &.C. 0:;DG1 Jorking Class 8truggles and )rganisation in Tanzania, :;G;-:;F<. Eawazo,
Mol.< 'o. 3.
8hiv6i, &.C. 0:;D21 +aw, 8tate and the Jorking Class in Tanzania. Lames Currey +td., +ondon.
employment and laour relations act! "##$
laour institutional act! "##$
the organization of tanzania trade unions act!%&&%
trade union act!%&&'
htt!A,,www.investo!edia.com,terms,c,collective-bargaining.as!