Tanzania: BWI observes healthy union-management relationship in Twiga cement

From 14 August 14 through 17 August 2023, a delegation from the Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) visited Tanzania and paid a visit to the Heidelberg Materials-affiliated Twiga cement company in Dar es Salaam. The delegation, led by the BWI Deputy President Pierre Cuppens (ACV-BIE- General Secretary), met with the members of the Tanzania Union of Industrial and Commercial Workers (TUICO) who are employed in the said company together with Twiga’s Managing Director Alfonso Velez and Human Resources Director Evelin Mushi. 

In the meeting, experiences and best practices were shared by both the trade unionists and company management. Twiga cement said that it prioritises health, safety and environmental protection, noting that it recorded its last work-related death in 2016. The company, which  is a well known brand among the 13 cement plants in the country, said that it has ambulatory services for emergency needs and first aid provision, and biennial medical check-ups. It also said that it regularly provides its workers PPEs even as it was observed that the issue of dust in some of the workplaces’ areas needs further improvement.

Twiga, which has been established 55 years ago and privatised in 1997 by Heidelberg Materials, also reported that its carbon emissions are among the lowest in the Heidelberg Materials group. It said that it only emitted below 400 kilograms per tonne of cementitious material; a target set for 2030 by the group. 

Cuppens observed the existence of sincere and productive social dialogues between trade unionists and the company management who are working together to address a variety of issues. He also underscored the cement company’s good working relationship with TUICO represented by a signed collective agreement and functional OHS joint committees. “In our meeting with the labour commissioner in the capital city Dodoma we expressed our concerns and discussed how the unions can work closer with the labor commissioners in the regions to ensure full enforcement of the laws. Obviously, there is still a lot to be done, but I believe that BWI and its affiliate, TUICO can work together with Twiga Cement and the government to make further advancements in the country’s cement industry,” Cuppens said. 

The delegation, which was comprised of Patrick Vandenberghe, ACV-BIE President, Jasmin Redzepovic BWI Global Policy Director for Cement and Building Materials, Garikanai Shoko BWI Africa and Middle East Assistant Regional Representative and Kivale Said, BWI East Africa Coordinator, also visited the limestone raw materials quarry site near the cement company. Twiga said that it invests in the rehabilitation of used quarries through tree planting. 

Workers in Tanzania’s cement industry face enormous challenges such as many cement companies’ non-compliance with labour standards and laws, poor workplace health and safety, and rampant sub-contracting which denies workers their freedom of association and right to collectively bargain. Unfair competition within the cement manufacturing, especially with the emergence of Chinese cement manufacturing companies, is also another major concern as it casts doubt in the quality of cement products and further undermines labour rights. In particular, TUICO complains cement employers and subcontractors’ refusal to give it access to talk to their workers.