Tanzania PM reveals why government does not announce civil servants’ welfare improvements publicly

Tanzania Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa.

Summary

• Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said on Thursday, February 11, 2021 that the improvement of workers’ welfare was not being made public in a deliberate move by the government to control the rate of price increases in the economy.

By Louis Kalumbia

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Dar es Salaam. Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said on Thursday, February 11, 2021 that the improvement of workers’ welfare was not being made public in a deliberate move by the government to control the rate of price increases in the economy.

Mr Majaliwa made the statement in Parliament in Dodoma during the Question and Answer Session.

Responding to a question from Hatibu Said Haji (Konde – ACT-Wazalendo), Mr Majaliwa said though the government was some improvements to the welfare of public servants, it found no reason of announcing them [the improvements] because doing so would result into an escalation of the cost of living.

In his key question, the lawmaker sought to know when the government would implement the promise on improving workers’ welfare as outlined in the CCM Election Manifesto 2020-2025 and through speeches made by President John Magufuli.

But in response Mr Majaliwa said announcing pay raises would result into increases in prices of various commodities in the market as well as bus fares and costs associated with a number of other social services.

He said Tanzania has had no clear mechanism of improving welfare of other community groups such as farmers, herders and fishermen and therefore, announcing improvements of the welfare of civil servants alone may yield some unintended outcomes.

“The fifth phase government has leant that announcing salary increment of public servants will lead to increase of costs and lead to life hardship among some groups in the country,” he said.

He said the government has been improving the welfare of civil servants in areas of salaries and promotions and that will keep doing so.

Mr Majaliwa, who doubles as MP for Ruangwa Constituency, said the government was looking for better means of improving workers’ welfare which sometimes exceed expected increments.

“President John Magufuli has been saying during Workers’ Day celebrations that increasing salaries by Sh20,000 or Sh30,000 could be inefficient to public servants but if we reduce  taxes from double to single digit, the impact could be huge,” he said.