Truck drivers’ strike congests Tanzanian – Zambia border

AS the strike action by Tanzanian Truck drivers enters day three, a terrible congestion has rocked Tunduma town in Tanzania on the Zambia – Tanzania border.

The strike action has resulted in not a single Tanzanian truck ferrying any goods from the port of Dar-es-salaam in Tanzania into Zambia since Sunday.

The Tanzanian international truck drivers have gone on strike to press for increased salaries and improved conditions of service.

They are also demanding for risk allowance to be paid to them on every trip they undertake saying they carry a lot of risky goods but do not receive risky allowance unlike their colleagues in other countries.

The striking truck drivers were yesterday scheduled to meet their employers at Tunduma but the meeting failed to take off and no reasons have been given.
A check at Tunduma this morning by the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) revealed that the strike action has continued with terrible congestion having rocked the tiny border town which has very few roads.

The survey also revealed that all the Tanzanian trucks coming from Zambia are being directed to park immediately after crossing the border.
Drivers talked to by ZANIS said they have vowed to continue with their strike action until their demands are met in full.

Joseph Johns said they have decided to go on strike because they have suffered for a long time adding that it is high time that they are given what is due to them.
Johns said the transporters are given enough money by the owners of the goods but give their drivers very little.

“We have all the information concerning how much our employers are given because we have managed to access some contract forms between our respective companies and the owners of the goods we are carrying to either Zambia or the Democratic Republic of Zambia (DRC) and we just wonder why they give us very little,”said Johns.

A check at the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RATSA) offices at Nakonde, which is normally flooded with drivers buying road toll, completely empty, an indication that the department has also been affected by the Tanzanian truck drivers strike action.
A clearing agent at Nakonde has also said the strike action will affect the revenue collection by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) as they are very few goods to be cleared from the port of Dare-es-salaam in Tanzania.

Yesterday one of the drivers Mohammed Aziri told ZANIS in an interview at Tunduma that they have agreed as drivers not to resume work until all their grievances are met.
Aziri said truck drivers are demanding for increased salaries and improved conditions of service.

He said Tanzanian truck drivers were the least paid in the region adding that drivers are also demanding for risk allowance to be paid to each driver before goods are loaded onto the trucks because some of the goods they carry are highly risky though no risk allowance is given to the driver.

Aziri said other drivers in the region like the South Africans are always given risk allowance but wondered why Tanznian transporters can not give the same allowance to its drivers.
The truck driver also complained that the travelling allowance given to them in Tanzanian shillings is not enough because they have to change the money to other currencies depending on their destination.

Another driver Ali Mohammed said the expenditure from the time they load the truck to the time they ofload is too much compared to how much they are given by the owners of the trucks.
Mohammed said they are a lot of charges they have to pay when in transit such as parking fees at Nakonde dry port which has to be paid from their own pocket because the transporter does not give them money to carter for such expenses.

ZANIS