A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Requirements for the Award of
Masters Degree on Human Resource Management (Msc.HRM) of
Mzumbe University-Dar Es Salaam Campus College
This dissertation focused on assessing the Public Sector Employees’ Awareness
on Labor Laws in Ulanga District Council. It was premised on five objectives
which are; to find out employees awareness of labor rights under the new labor
law, to examine employees’ understanding on labor disputes, to determine
employees’ awareness on dispute settlement procedures and to explore
alternative mechanisms for preventing labor disputes. Data collection was done
through conducting interviews, administering questionnaires, and documentary
review. Data analysis was done through using Statistical Package for Social
Science (SPSS) and the findings have been presented in the form of frequency
tables and detailed discussions.
Results from the field showed that employees’ awareness on the current labor
law was twofold dimension in the sense that there were some section within the
Act that employees were well aware, while there were other sections of the same
Act in which they were totally not aware. The areas which the respondents
demonstrated clear awareness were fundamental rights, protections and
discrimination, the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining,
employees’ rights and equal treatment despite their differences, and employment
rights and standards. Low awareness was seen in areas of employment rights at
work. The research also showed that the council has implemented Employment
Standards, Rights and Protection especially freedom of association and
collective bargaining, but employees were less participative in these instruments
of negotiation and empowerment. Additionally the research found that the
employees had low awareness on labor disputes and settlement mechanisms,
and had minimally received training on it.
The study concluded that labour laws are a roadmap for employees and
employers within a work place, and its understanding to both players is a
necessary priority.It was recommended that there is a need for labor law policy
to monitor the effectiveness of the act, more involvement of trade unions in
creating employees awareness, and the need of the law to address the issue of
employees in the informal economy in Tanzania.