TAZARA services suspended as workers threaten to strike

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Ordinary commuter services of the Tanzania and Zambia Railways Authority (TAZARA) will be suspended effective from Saturday (6 October) due to poor business performances in the past months, reliable sources have said here.

Last year TAZARA had planned to transport 1.1 million passengers — but ended up carrying 97,000 passengers less than the target. The suspension comes amid threats from TAZARA workers who intend to down tools anytime from now.

With such threats, inside sources from the authority told APA Thursday that the train services would be suspended indefinitely, allegedly following poor business performance in recent months.

However, express rail services between Dar es Salaam and New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia would remain as will cargo haulage, also between the two points.

“Despite a big number of passengers on the routes, the company’s business has remained largely poor — except for cargo haulage. We’ll announce a final decision to suspend the services anytime this week,” a TAZARA official who preferred anonymity revealed to APA.

Business within TAZARA is volatile and workers have threatened to strike, demanding overdue salaries over the past two months which have not been paid to-date.

The workers were locked in protracted meetings aimed at putting pressure on the top management to pay them as well as pressing for the reinstatement of the Director General, Henry Chipeo, who was reportedly sacked by the Zambian government recently.

According to sources, Chipeo was endorsed by the Tanzanian Board but the Ministry of Infrastructure in Zambia shortly after announced that it did not recognise him and in fact stopped him from exercising his powers.

The Secretary General of Tanzania Railways Workers Union (TRAWU), Sylvester Rwegasira, told APA that the meetings Wednesday were aimed at urging the Zambian Government to stop meddling with various decisions reached by their Tanzanian counterparts.

The decision by the Zambian government has been interpreted by some workers as a sign of revenge, after Chipeo’s predecessor (a Zambian), was rejected by Tanzania on grounds that he had no qualifications to hold the position.

Almost all senior officials at TAZARA declined to comment on the stalemate, ostensibly because they were under instruction to remain silent until the Board resolves the issue.

“We have been told not to comment on this until the Board decides,” said one official.

Source: African Press Agency