Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1990, published 77th ILC session (1990)

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) - United Republic of Tanzania (Ratification: 1962)

The Committee notes that no report has been received from the Government. It must therefore repeat its previous observatrion on the following matters:

Tanganyika

1. Compulsory cultivation. In comments made over a number of years, the Committee noted that the Local Government Ordinance and, following its repeal, the Local Government (District Authorities) Act, 1982, and section 121(e) of the Employment Ordinance (as amended by Act No. 82 of 1962) empower local authorities to impose compulsory cultivation, and that by-laws which impose compulsory cultivation on resident landholders have indeed been made by district councils and approved by the national Government. While reference was made during the discussion which took place at the Conference Committee in 1984 concerning the application of the Convention in the United Republic of Tanzania to the impending threat of famine, the Committee in its last observation noted that a number of by-laws adopted in 1984 and 1985 specifically restrict the production of food crops, since they oblige resident landholders to cultivate and maintain a fixed area of cash crops, any contravention being punishable with a fine and imprisonment. For a number of years also, the Government has indicated its intention to have the legislation revised so as to ensure the observance of the Convention; in its report for 1980-81 it asked for concrete proposals from the ILO to this effect which were forwarded in May 1982; in its report for 1981-82, the Government indicated that measures would be taken in the near future in light of the specific proposals; in the discussion which took place at the Conference Committee in 1987, the Government again stated that it intended to review all laws relating to labour and make amendments, if necessary, to provisions inconsistent with international obligations. In its most recent report, covering the period ending 15 October 1988, the Government pointed out that the Labour Laws of the country are now under revision and that it is hoped that the new Labour Code will contain provisions which are in harmony with international labour standards. The Committee takes due note of this indication. It observes that by-laws imposing compulsory cultivation are in actual practice made under the Local Government (District Authorities) Act, 1982. Noting the Government's repeated indications that the legislation referred to would be revised so as to ensure the observance of the Convention, the Committee trusts that the necessary measures will be taken without further delay to bring the Local Government (District Authorities) Act, 1982 and section 121(e) of the Employment Ordinance, as well as any by-laws made and approved thereunder into conformity with the Convention, and that the Government will indicate the provisions adopted to this end. 2. General obligation to work. In previous comments the Committee had referred to the Human Resources Deployment Act, 1983, which makes provision for the establishment of machinery designed to regulate and facilitate the engagement of all able-bodied persons in productive work. Under section 3 of this Act, every local government authority shall make arrangements to ensure that every able-bodied person over 15 years of age and resident within its area of jurisdiction engages in productive or other lawful employment; for this purpose, the local authority shall establish and maintain registers of employers and of all residents capable of working (sections 13 and 14), and work out a system which will enable the registered employer to utilise the available registered unemployed residents within its area of jurisdiction (section 20). Under section 17 of the Act, arrangements made by the Minister of Labour and Manpower Development are to provide for the transfer to other districts and subsequent employment of unemployed residents, and under section 24, failure to comply with any provision of the Act is punishable with a fine and imprisonment. Referring to the explanations provided in paragraphs 34 to 37 and 45 to 48 of its 1979 General Survey on the Abolition of Forced Labour, the Committee pointed out that legislation obliging all able-bodied citizens to engage in a gainful occupation subject to penal sanctions is incompatible with the Convention. In its recent report, the Government refers in this regard to the current revision of the labour laws of the country. The Committee hopes that the necessary measures will rapidly be taken to bring the Human Resources Deployment Act into conformity with the Convention and that the Government will indicate the provisions adopted. 3. The Committee previously noted that by the Written Laws (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Act, 1983, section 176 of the Penal Code has been amended by inserting, inter alia, a new paragraph (8), punishing "any able-bodied person who is not engaged in any productive work and has no visible means of subsistence". Noting also that persons chargeable under section 176 of the Penal Code may be subjected to administrative measures under the Human Resources Deployment Act (see point 5 below), the Committee requested the Government to supply full information on the application in practice of section 176(8), including any court decisions defining or illustrating its scope and any guide-lines followed by administrative authorities in deciding who is chargeable under this provision. In the absence of a reply, the Committee hopes that the Government will re-examine section 176(8) of the Penal Code in the light of the Convention and the explanations provided in paragraphs 34 to 37 and 45 to 48 of the 1979 General Survey on the Abolition of Forced Labour, already referred to above, and that it will indicate the measures taken or contemplated in this regard to ensure the observance of the Convention. 4. Compulsory labour for public purposes and development schemes. In comments made over a number of years, the Committee observed that, contrary to the Convention, Part X of the Employment Ordinance permits forced labour to be exacted for public purposes, and section 6 of the Ward Development Committees Act, 1969, gives ward development committees the power to make orders requiring all adult citizens resident in the area of the ward to participate in the implementation of any scheme for agricultural or pastoral development, the construction of works or buildings for the social welfare of residents, the establishment of any industry or the construction of any public utility. In 1984, the Committee noted the Government's statement that proposals for the revision of these provisions had been submitted to the competent authority for decision. In its latest report the Government indicates that the non-conformity of Part X of the Employment Ordinance, and section 6 of the Ward Development Committees Act will be corrected when the new Labour Code now under preparation is adopted. The Committee notes this indication. In view of the Government's earlier indications that amending legislation had been proposed for adoption, the Committee hopes that the necessary action will soon be taken to bring Part X of the Employment Ordinance and section 6 of the Ward Development Committees Act into conformity with the Convention and that the Government will indicate the provisions adopted to this end. 5. Article 2, paragraph (2)(c), of the Convention. In previous comments, the Committee noted that sections 4 to 8 of the Resettlement of Offenders Act, 1969, and sections 4 and 17 of the Resettlement of Offenders Regulations, 1969, permit resettlement orders, with an obligation to perform compulsory labour, to be made by administrative decision. In addition, under sections 26 and 27 of the Human Resources Deployment Act, the Minister shall make such arrangements as will provide for a smooth and co-ordinated transfer or any other measure which will provide for the rehabilitation and full deployment of persons chargeable with, or previously convicted under, sections 176 and 177 of the Penal Code. While in 1984, the Committee noted the Government's statement that proposals for the revision of the provisions of the Resettlement of Offenders Act and Regulations had been submitted to the competent authority for decision, the Government in its report for the period ending October 1987 merely stated that no cases were known where compulsory labour has been applied contrary to Article 2, paragraph (2)(c), of the Convention. In its report for the period ending 15 October 1988 the Government added that since work in Tanzania can only be exacted from a person as a consequence of a conviction in a court of law, it follows, therefore, that no compulsory labour can be imposed by an administrative or non-judicial body. The Committee takes note of these indications. It hopes that the provisions of the Resettlement of Offenders Act, 1969, and Resettlement of Offenders Regulations, 1969, referred to above which appear to authorise the imposition of compulsory labour by administrative order will accordingly be amended so as to ensure in law that no compulsory labour may be imposed on offenders otherwise than as a consequence of a conviction in a court of law, and that the Government will indicate the action taken to this end.

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The Committee hopes that the Government will make every effort to take the necessary action in the very near future.