HakiPensheni

 
 BoT Twin Towers Dar es Salaam
.It has come to light that some workers in the private sector in the country are ignorant of labour laws and pension schemes only to discover upon retirement that some of their basic benefits provided for in the law have been infringed upon.

This has been highlighed in a survey conducted by Wage Indicator Foundation in Tanzania between November 2011 and January 2012, which involved 2000 respondents.It shows that there is high illiteracy among employees as most of them do not know their basic rights at the work place and are not well informed of their retirement benefits.

The survey -- Wage Indicator -- shows that minimum wages range between Sh70,000 and Sh350,000, with many falling below Sh250,000 amid long working hours in poor conditions.This is despite the government’s pledge to uplift private sector employees’ conditions by raising the threshold of the minimum wage to Sh140,000 from Sh70,000 in January 2012.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam at a Wage Indicator roundtable discussion, Wage Indicator project manager from the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) Oscar Mkude said the project was being implemented in 65 countries worldwide to determine scales of salary payments among workers across sectors.

It was revealed at the meeting that many employers don’t comply scrupulously with the provisions of pension schemes, such as regular remittances of employees to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).

Employees also complain that upon retirement, resignation or dismissal, they face hardships in accessing their dues.

He said the firm -- through public forums and discussions on various sectors -- was striving to provide education and awareness to make sure that employers create a conducive environment for their employees.
Although the law has set the working time per day at 9 hours, many workers worked for up to 12 hours a day and at no extra payment or compensation in any form.

This, according to Wage Indicator is a crosscutting issue sectorwise, which deprives employees of their rights at the work place. Mr Mkude, said there was need to organise public campaigns to educate and raise awareness among employees on their rights and why it is important to save for the retirement age, through the legally established entities.

He called upon employers and responsible authorities to inform workers of their rights and mobilise them to save for the future.