Not Just Civil Servants: Tanzania’s Private Sector Workers Demand Wage Justice

TUCTA President Tumaini Nyamhokya

Introduction: A Tale of Two Workforces

As Tanzanians marked International Workers’ Day on May 1st 2025, a glaring reality was laid bare: while public servants celebrated a long-awaited wage increase, their counterparts in the private sector continued to toil under outdated salary structures and declining working conditions.

The Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA) used the occasion not just to cheer progress but to raise the alarm. For Tanzania’s private sector workers, May Day was not about celebration. It was a reminder of a system that has, for too long, rewarded the state-employed elite while ignoring the masses who drive the economy from shops, farms, factories, and hotels.

Who is TUCTA? The Voice of Tanzania’s Workers

The Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA) is the country’s largest and most influential trade union federation, established in 2001 following the dissolution of its state-controlled predecessor, OTTU. TUCTA represents workers across different sectors, from agriculture and hospitality to education and healthcare, through its more than 10 affiliate unions.

Unlike some older federations in the region, TUCTA emerged during a period of liberal economic reforms, making it especially attuned to the challenges of the privatised and informalising economy. Over the years, it has become the go-to platform for pushing national minimum wage debates, lobbying against exploitative contracts, and negotiating collective bargaining agreements.

This Workers’ Day, TUCTA focused its attention on the rising inequality between public and private sector workers, urging the government to uphold wage justice for all Tanzanians.

“Promotions and salary reviews in the private sector take too long, if they happen at all. We are determined to keep the conversation with employers alive and push for better working conditions and fair pay that reflect the rising cost of living,” said TUCTA President Tumaini Nyamhokya, addressing a national audience. “Respect in the workplace, fair treatment and professional dignity are non-negotiable issues that Tucta addresses daily”

The Wage Gap: What the Numbers Say

In April 2025, President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced a 35.1% salary increase for public servants, raising the minimum monthly wage from TSh 370,000 (KSH 17,757.04) to TSh 500,000 (KSHs 23,996). The move was hailed as historic and long overdue, addressing inflation and high cost of living.

But for private sector workers, who include hotel staff, bank tellers, factory employees, and agricultural labourers, there was no such announcement. Many still earn less than TSh 250,000 (KSH 11,998) per month, often without social protection or job security. In sectors like tourism and retail, workers went years without a formal salary review, even during periods of high profitability for employers.

Systemic Inequality: Power and Profits over People

This disparity is not accidental. It reflects a broader power imbalance between capital and labour, especially in Tanzania’s increasingly liberalised economy. While the state remains the largest employer, private sector investors, from local conglomerates to multinational firms often resist wage reviews, citing competition and business sustainability.

TUCTA and its affiliates argue that the government has abdicated its role as a regulator, allowing wage stagnation in the private sector to persist. The union is now calling for a tripartite wage framework that guarantees living wages and ensures private employers are held to account.

The Bigger Picture: Regional Comparisons and Movement Lessons

Tanzania’s situation mirrors trends across the continent. In Kenya, wage disputes between supermarket chains and unions like KUCFAW have led to mass resignations. In Nigeria, public servants have received one-time allowances while private workers remain locked out of negotiations. South Africa’s private sector, especially mining and retail has also faced strikes over wage inequality.

The lesson is clear: without strong regulation and collective organising, private capital will always prioritise profit over worker welfare.

TUCTA’s intervention on May Day is therefore more than symbolic. It signals a push to reclaim wage justice as a cross-sectoral issue, rather than a public service conversation alone.

Conclusion: Wage Justice is a National Imperative

Tanzania’s development narrative often highlights GDP growth, foreign investment, and infrastructure projects. But behind these headlines are real people, millions of them whose work is undervalued and underpaid.

By demanding wage reforms for the private sector, TUCTA has reignited a necessary debate: who really benefits from economic growth?

If the government wants to honour the spirit of Workers’ Day, it must listen, not only to union leaders, but to the hotel cleaner in Arusha, the shop attendant in Dar es Salaam, and the farm worker in Morogoro. Their voices matter, and so do their wages.

References

1. The Citizen Tanzania. (2025, April 28). Private sector welfare tops TUCTA Workers’ Day agenda. Link

2. The Citizen Tanzania. (2025, May 2). Workers rejoice as Samia dishes out 35.1 percent pay rise. Link

3. TUCTA Official Website. (2024). Who We Are. Link

4. WageIndicator Foundation. (2024). Tanzania Minimum Wages & Labour Conditions Report. Link

5. Equal Times. (2023). Africa’s silent workforce: The struggle for private sector workers’ rights. Link