Following the agreement between the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) and Dubai’s DP World concerning the management of berths 0 to 7 at the Dar Es Salaam Port, employees at the primary port in the country now have the choice to either transfer to the new investor or remain with their current employer.
TPA and DP World signed a 30-year concession agreement for operations of berth zero (RoRo) to berth 7 on October 22 of last year in order to improve efficiency at the port.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan witnessed the signing of the concession agreement between the Director General of TPA, Mr Plasduce Mbossa, and Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem.
Given the terms of the agreement the current employees at Dar es Salaam Port have been given a choice to either terminate their contracts with TPA and join DP World or remain with the former.
“All employees working at Dar es Salaam Port who opt to remain with TPA may be reallocated to other ports across the country,” explained the TPA’s Director of Human Resources and Administration, Mr Mbarikiwa Masinga, during an interview.
TPA operates six major ports in the country, including three coastal harbors of Dar es Salaam, Tanga, and Mtwara, as well as three lake ports in Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Nyasa.
The authority is also undertaking various port modernisation projects, including Mwanza South and Bukoba Port, among other initiatives.
“Plans are also underway to construct new ports in Bagamoyo along the Indian Ocean and Mbamba Bay in Lake Nyasa and as such, we are still in need of a strong workforce for our operations,” he stated.
Mr Masinga noted further that the employees at the Dar es Salaam port have until March 29 of this year to decide whether they will join the new investor or remain with TPA.
He explained further that for those who want to join DP World, they will be remunerated in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) agreed upon in January of this year between TPA and the employees through the Dock Workers’ Union of Tanzania (DOWUTA).
“The agreement was aimed at creating harmony between TPA and the employees by putting in place better terms for all parties,” he elaborated.
All employees at the Dar es Salaam port were fully informed of the choices before them through a seminar conducted for about two weeks.
“We conducted the seminar to ensure that the employees understand the choice before them; their participation in CBA was important to ensure a win-win for all,” he reiterated.
Reached for comment, the National Chairman of DOWUTA, Mr Muharami Manyara, confirmed to this paper that the TPA employees at the Dar es Salaam Port were aware of the agreement and its content.
“We were involved in all the processes since TPA and DP World signed their agreement last year. All employees at Dar es Salaam Port have thus been informed of the way forward and it is up to them to make a decision.
“The employees are fully aware that no one will force them to either remain with TPA or join DP World; it is up to them to decide,” Mr Manyara said during a telephone interview.
He was equally satisfied that employees who choose to remain with TPA will be reassigned to other ports under the jurisdiction of TPA across the country.
“This means that no one will lose his/her job at the port. The choice is either to remain with TPA or join DP World, who we believe will have better terms for the employees,” he explained.
Apart from handling a huge chunk of Tanzania’s imports and exports, the Dar es Salaam port is also a major gateway for its land-linked neighbours such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, Uganda, Burundi and Malawi.
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