BabuK
JF-Expert Member
- Jul 30, 2008
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Kassim Majaliwa, Deputy minister for Regional Administration and Local Government
In the wake of growing disputes, the government has directed councils in the country to seek consent of public workers before they deduct their salaries to fund the Presidential ordered construction of laboratories in public secondary schools before the end of this month.
Speaking over the weekend during a fundraising event for the construction of laboratories for secondary schools in Bukoba, deputy minister for Regional Administration and Local Government Kassim Majaliwa said public servants should not have their salaries deducted by force.
"Workers should first be educated on the need to contributed towards construction of laboratories and allowed to contribute voluntarily," he said emphasising that the government is not forcing public servants to contribute towards the construction of laboratories.
"President Kikwete's directive for the construction of three laboratories in each public secondary school by November 30 should not be interpreted to mean an automatic and mandatory deduction of workers' salaries without their consent," he cautioned.
He said workers, just like other people in the society, should not be forced but rather, convinced to contribute willingly. Notably at the fundraiser, Bukoba residents voluntarily contributed 8.5m/- .
Last month, teachers in Mwanza threatened to take the city director to court after he announced his intention to deduct 10,000/- from each teacher' s October salary to fund construction of laboratories.
The teachers were up in arms saying the move is a violation of labour laws, for an employer to deduct employee's salary without the latter's consent and the plan was halted after the Teachers Trade Union threatened to stage a strike should the authority go ahead with its plan.
Speaking in Bukoba recently, Majaliwa said the government will supply laboratory equipment to all laboratories that will have been built by the end of November as directed by President Kikwete.
Bukoba Municipal Director Adoh Mapunda said they have so far collected 252.3m/- out of the 660m/- needed to complete the work in its Municipal Council which has 30 secondary schools, out of which 21 are public and of these, only five have laboratories.
TheGuardian