Training of mediators and arbitrators on labour dispute resolution and domestic work in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam (ILO News) - The ILO, in collaboration with the Tanzanian Ministry of Labour and Employment, provided training sessions on resolutions of labour disputes focused on human rights abuses of domestics workers and their working conditions, particularly women and young girls.

The training which was organized on 15th October 1015 in Dar es Salaam targeted the Commission for Mediation and Arbitration and the Dispute Handling Unit of Zanzibar.

The major complaints from domestic workers include physical violence, child labour, forced labour, unsafe working conditions, inappropriate accommodation, long hours of arduous work without rest and unfair pay practices.

Hon. Gaudentia Kabaka, Minister of Labour and Employment, emphasized in his official opening speech that arbitrators need to continuously improve their skills in order to help resolve conflicts and disputes in view of the demands of the domestic work relationship, and the particular vulnerabilities of certain categories of domestic workers.

A rapid empirical survey undertaken in Tanzania revealed that there are 883,779 domestic workers in Mainland and 203,622 in Zanzibar. This represents 5 percent of the total working age population (15–64 years) in Tanzania (23.47 million as of 2012 census). However, if the people performing domestic tasks who are hidden in very informal arrangements are considered, this number increases to 1,728,228 (7 percent of total working age population). Among them, 75% are women and only 25% are men.

In view of the critical functions that arbitrators and dispute handling functions of the government play in providing labour protection for domestic workers, there is an increasing demand for ILO to provide capacity building training in dispute resolution techniques. Accordingly the ILO has developed a training module which will be delivered for the first time in Tanzania.

In Mainland Tanzania dispute resolution mechanisms that are accessible to domestic workers and their employers are governed by the Employment and Labour Relations Act, 2004 (No. 6) and the Labour Institutions Act, 2004 (No. 7), respectively. In Zanzibar, the relevant legislations are the Employment Act, 2005 (No.11) and the Labour Relations Act, 2005 (No. 1). These four pieces of legislation provide, inter alia, resolution of disputes through mediation, arbitration and adjudication.