Workers Strike at GGML Over Education Support Issues

Workers at Geita Gold Mining Limited (GGML) have recently gone on strike, voicing their demands for the payment of education costs for their children, as outlined in their employment contracts.

This strike has impacted operations at the mining site and stems from the company’s failure to fulfill its commitments regarding financial support for workers’ children’s education.

According to the agreement, GGML is supposed to provide educational support for children aged 3 to 22, amounting to 2.5 million Tanzanian shillings per child annually, before tax. However, many employees are unhappy with how this has been handled.

This year, during salary negotiations, the company refused to pay for the education of workers with four children, instead offering only a total of 10 million Tanzanian shillings annually for those workers. To add to their frustration, the employer has proposed that workers contribute to the education costs of their colleagues’ children, starting with an initial payment of 2.5 million shillings, which later increased to 7.5 million shillings.

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Employees are also worried about the misuse of the education support program, claiming that some colleagues have forged educational certificates to receive benefits. Despite these serious concerns, the company has yet to take any action.

While the strike has not disrupted production, workers are demanding an increase in the education support payment to 10 million Tanzanian shillings per child. They are also concerned about the reduction in the company’s food allowance, which was cut from 18 billion shillings last year to 16 billion shillings this year, despite GGML reporting a profit of 5 trillion shillings in its latest financial statement.

This situation has led to significant unrest among the workforce, and so far, there has been no official response from GGML management.