By Isaac Zulu
Unionised workers at TAZARA says they are owed K28 million in salary arrears.
When queried on how much unionized workers at TAZARA are owed, Silumbe said: “The current situation is that we have had some negotiations with the Ministry of Transport and Communications and TAZARA management. And what we have established is that TAZARA management has to pay our unionized members K28 million to offset that wage bill. We have gotten some positive assurances that our issue will be attended to. But there’s no certainty over the matter.”
The workers at TAZARA have gone without salaries for three months, an issue which has incensed employees at the railway company.
But when called by Daily Revelation to know when TAZARA workers would be paid, Crews and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (CRAWUZ) president Bevis Silumbe said that the labour movement at the railway company has had meetings with management over the same issue, but all efforts are pointing to uncertainty.
Silumbe, however, said that the Ministry of Transport and Communication has made “serious commitments,” to offset the salary arears being owed to TAZARA workers.
“Indeed, we have been going without salaries for three months. These salary arears are for the months ranging from January, February and March 2023,” said Silumbe. “As we speak, the Ministry of Transport and Communication has made some assurances that they will pay TAZARA workers. But that is dependent on the outcome from the Ministry of Finance and National Planning as well as the Secretary to the Treasury. As things stand, we are not certain when our union members will be paid.”
