Decent work: A structural requirement for Tanzania’s Development Vision 2050

Each year, Labour Day offers an oppor­tunity to recognise workers’ contributions, reflect on the conditions under which work is performed, and assess the direction of Tanzania’s labour market.

This year’s theme, “Decent Work is the Pillar for Sustainable Development in the Implementation of the Tanzania Develop­ment Vision 2050,” calls for a deeper con­sideration of the role of work in shaping the country’s economic future.

Decent work is often treated as a social objective, something to be pursued along­side development. In reality, it is a structur­al requirement for achieving it. As defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO), decent work rests on access to pro­ductive employment, rights at work, social protection, and social dialogue.

Where these elements are weak, productivity suffers, inequality deepens, and growth becomes uneven. Where they are strong, economies become more stable, inclusive, and resilient.

In Tanzania, these principles are embed­ded in the Employment and Labour Rela­tions Act, which provides the legal founda­tion for freedom of association, collective bargaining, and minimum workplace stand­ards. The strength of this framework lies not only in its provisions but in the extent to which these rights are exercised, protected, and enforced across workplaces.

As Tanzania advances towards the ambi­tions outlined in the Tanzania Develop­ment Vision 2050, the centrality of labour becomes increasingly evident. Industrial growth, expanding investment, and deeper integration into regional and global markets are reshaping the world of work.

At the same time, employment rela­tionships are becoming more fragmented. Outsourcing, subcontracting, and informal arrangements are altering traditional forms of work. While these trends may enhance flexibility and efficiency, they also risk weak­ening job security and reducing workers’ bargaining power.

Within this evolving context, internation­ally recognised labour standards remain crit­ical. Fundamental principles, such as those enshrined in ILO Conventions No. 87 and No. 98, provide the institutional foundation for workers to organise and engage in collec­tive bargaining.

These are practical mechanisms through which workers influence the terms and con­ditions of their employment and contribute to more balanced and stable labour relations.

The Tanzania Union of Industrial and Commercial Workers (TUICO) operates within and through this legal and institu­tional framework. Its work is not separate from national development; it is part of the mechanisms that make development inclu­sive and sustainable. Through organising, representation, and negotiation, the union helps shape the conditions under which work takes place across key sectors of the economy.

TUICO’s recent efforts have focused on expanding representation and deepening engagement at the workplace level. These efforts are reflected in rising membership, which grew to more than 140,000 nation­wide by December 2025, up from 132,794 in January. Sustained membership growth and workplace outreach continue to extend rep­resentation across diverse sectors, including less-structured forms of employment.

Collective bargaining remains central to this process. The 59 collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) concluded over the past six months have improved wages and work­ing conditions while strengthening predict­ability and stability in industrial relations.

At the same time, structured engagement through workers’ councils and dispute-res­olution mechanisms has enabled 331 work­place grievances and disputes to be addressed constructively, with many resolved through dialogue before escalation.

Capacity building has been a consistent focus. TUICO has placed significant emphasis on training programmes and semi­nars to equip workers and their representatives with the knowl­edge required to engage effectively in negotiations and exercise their rights. Over the past six months, 1,200 training sessions have been conducted, strengthening the quality of representation and sup­porting more effective participa­tion in economic processes.

These efforts take place with­in a labour market that contin­ues to evolve. The expansion of non-standard employment, the persistence of informality, and the growing influence of global pro­duction systems require adaptive responses.

Representation must extend beyond traditional workplac­es, while institutional systems are strengthened to support evi­dence-based decision-making, including through digital tools to improve efficiency and data accu­racy.

Looking ahead, TUICO’s prior­ities are clear: broaden organising efforts into emerging and under­served sectors, strengthen evi­dence-based collective bargaining, and deepen engagement in social dialogue processes.

Equally important is the contin­ued strengthening of institutional systems, including data and infor­mation management, to ensure that interventions respond to real labour market conditions.

Achieving these outcomes requires coordinated action. The government must ensure con­sistent enforcement of the legal framework. Employers must align business practices with fair and sustainable employment condi­tions.

Workers must remain organised and actively engaged in exercising their rights.

Decent work is not separate from Tanzania’s development ambitions. It is one of the condi­tions that will determine whether those ambitions are inclusive, sta­ble, and sustainable.