Work conditions in Tanzania

The Active Population in Figures

Working Conditions

Legal Weekly Duration

According to Employment and Labour Relations Act of 2004, an employee works for a maximum of 45 hours in any week and nine hours on any day. Employees can work up to six days a week. It is prohibitied for an employer to require or permit a pregnant employee to work at night two months before the expected date of delivery and a mother for a period of two months after the date of birth (night hours run between 20:00 and 06:00).

Retirement Age

The voluntary retirement age is 55 whereas the compulsory retirement age is 60.

Working Contracts

The Employment and Labour Relations Act of 2004 regulates conditions of employment in Namibia. The law provides for three types of contract: a contract for an unspecified period of time; a contract for a specified period of time for professionals and managerial executive, a contract for a specific task.
The employment contract must include the following items: name, age, permanent address and sex of the employee; place of recruitment; job description; date of commencement; form and duration of the contract; place of work; hours of work; remuneration, the method of its calculation, and details of any benefits or payments in kind, and any other prescribed matter.

Labour Laws

Consult Doing Business report on Tanzania, to obtain a summary of the labor regulations that apply to local entreprises.

Cost of Labour

Minimum Wage

Set minimum wage categories cover 12 employment sectors. The minimum wage varies between TZS 100,000 per month for agricultural workers to TZS 400,000 per month for workers employed in the mineral sector (companies with mining and prospecting licenses).

Average Wage

The majority of citizen employees earn between TZS 500,000 and 900,000 (Tanzania Formal Sector Employment and Earning Survey 2016).

Social Contributions

Social Security Contributions Paid By Employers: 10%
Social Security Contributions Paid By Employees: Social security contribution is split equally between employer and employee, both amounting to 10% of earnings (20% in total). Employers are also required to contribute to workers compensation fund at 1% (private sector) or 0.5% (public sector) of cash sums paid to employees. The contribution is payable on a monthly basis.

Social Partners

Social Dialogue and Involvement of Social Partners

The roots of trade unions in Tanzania date back to colonial times as the first union, the Motor Drivers' Union, was founded in 1927. Trade unions sided with the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU), in its fight for the nation's independence from the United Kingdom. However, soon after the independence, trade unions were brought under the control of the government and they only became independent in 1998 with the Trade Union Act. The Trade Union Congress of Tanzania is the umbrella organisation that gathers unions of the mainland Tanzania. Trade unions in Zanzibar are part of the Zanzibar Trade Union Congress.

Labour Unions

Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA)
Zanzibar Trade Union Congress (ZATUC)

Unionisation Rate

The Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA) is by far the largest organisation and has around 350,000 members. Zanzibar Trade Union Congress (ZATUC), which is operational in the islands of Zanzibar, has around 15,000 members (International Trade Union Confederation, 2018).

Labour Regulation Bodies

Ministry of Labour and Employment