STATEMENT ON RELEASED TWO MONTHS TAZARA WORKERS SALARIES
A recent statement by the Ministry of Transport has revealed that the government has released K18 million for 3 out of the 5 months salary arrears that the government owes the TAZARA workers. However, the monthly wage bill for TAZARA workers is K8.5 million.
Simple arithmetic shows that K8.5 (TAZARA wage bill) by 3 ( intended unpaid salaries settlement ) is equal to K25.5 million. How then will the K18 million suffice the 3 months unpaid salaries? This means if at all they pay, they will pay them 2 months of dues which will all be taken to liabilities that have accumulated in the past months these innocent workers have not been paid, some of them have loans, debts and other responsibilities which have multiplied with the lack of salaries overtime and surely 2 months of salaries will not solve these problems.
Therefore, there is one thing to do and that is to pay the workers what is theirs. The government has about 5 months worth of arrears to settle with TAZARA and that is not subject to negotiations because these hard-working men and women have families and responsibilities and we cannot say it enough, the cost of living is firmly high and the horizon shows no resolve for things to be better anytime soon.
If the government cannot pay some of its workers, then how can it defend its people against ill treatment by employers and investors when itself has adopted salary arrears for Tazara workers as a standard of living. The injustice inflicted on TAZARA human resource is very saddening and something that does not have to happen anymore.
Signed
Hon Francis Robert Kapyanga MP
Mpika Constituency
Muchinga Province