Performance Improves At Dar Port, Tanzania After Payment Of Workers Salaries

Performance at the Dar es Salaam port has shot up considerably after authorities started to pay port workers their salary arrears.
The Chairman of Dock Workers Union of Tanzania (DOWUTA), Edmund Njowoka told a news conference in Dar es Salaam that motivated workers had boosted performance at the port with cargo handled increased to 13.1 million tonnes as of March, this year, surpassing the target of 13 million tonnes forecasted by June, this year.

Performance at the Dar es Salaam port has shot up considerably after authorities started to pay port workers their salary arrears.
The Chairman of Dock Workers Union of Tanzania (DOWUTA), Edmund Njowoka told a news conference in Dar es Salaam that motivated workers had boosted performance at the port with cargo handled increased to 13.1 million tonnes as of March, this year, surpassing the target of 13 million tonnes forecasted by June, this year.
He said with improved performance, cargo clearance time had been shortened to around 4.8 days from 7 days in June, last year.
"As the authority is continuously working on settling workers arrears, I appeal to my fellow workers to work together for the improvement of our port and economic development," he said.
He said TPA had started to pay millions of arrears to workers which they demanded for the past three years. The association has already agreed with TPA management on the mode of payment.
"They have already started to pay our arrears in July, last year, it is my hope that every worker will receive his or her full payments before end of this year," he said.
Some of the arrears which workers owe the authority are transport, allowances and food which for the past three years they were not paid.
He thanked the new TPA management for taking their concerns seriously and pledged to improve collaboration between the two parties.
He also commended the government's recent decision to make the largest port in the country operate twenty four hours in seven days.
He said apart from serving the local business community, the port served several neighbouring countries and that the decision to add working hours would improve performance and the port's competitiveness in the region.
"I commend that decision … the port is one of major income generating sources for this country," he noted.
However, he said the government should now strengthen railway services, noting that it is the best means of transportation because it is relatively cheap.
"An efficient railway system will also help improve the port because cargo will be removed fast and business will thrive," he said, adding that relying on road transport is a burden to the country's economy and bad economics.
Statistics show that in the last five years, 2008/09- 2012/13, that overall cargo handled by Tanzania's ports has been increasing at an average rate of 13.4 per cent per year.
Bulk liquid cargo through the port of Dar es Salaam increased from 2.400 million tons in 2008/09 to 4.355 million tons in 2012/13, an increase of 19 per cent per year.