Local News

TTU calls off teachers’ strike

THE president of Tanzania Teachers Union, Mr Gratian Mkoba.

THE  Tanzania Teachers' Union  (TTU) has called off the countrywide strike effective yesterday, saying  teachers in all schools should resume their duties immediately.

The announcement comes a day after a ruling by the High Court, Labour Division that declared the strike staged on July 30, 2012 illegal.

Addressing reporters  in Dar es Salaam, the TTU  President, Mr Gratian Mukoba, said teachers have complied with the court ruling to pave the way for bilateral discussions with the government for amicable settlement of their case.

"Our lawyers will assess the directives issued by High Court Judge Sophia Wambura. They will also advise us as we prepare to file the case to the Court of Appeal," Mukoba explained. In its ruling of case number 96/2012, the High Court, among other things, ordered the TTU leadership to ask all its members to resume their duties effective on Friday.

"We have already done that. Other directives will be revised pending thorough assessment of the court ruling," he said. As for the  loss incurred during the strike, Mr Mukoba said TTU was not in a position to determine the extent of damages and shifted the burden to  the claimant (government).

 "The ruling has disappointed teachers, considering that the employer (government) does not seem to care about their genuine demands. Taking this matter to court was not the best option," he said. Among their demands, the teachers  wanted salary increase and hardship allowance.

On the first day of the strike, the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner, Saidi Meck Sadiki, told reporters that 3,715 primary school teachers and 4,332 secondary school teachers in the region did not report for work. "By participating in the strike, one has retired from employment or the employer can terminate his or her services," he  had warned.