Focus on growth and you will get salary raise later, Magufuli tells workers

Dar es Salaam

President John Magufuli on Tuesday told workers in Tanzania that they won't be getting a wage increment yet, but promised to raise to raise their salaries before he completes his tenure.

Magufuli's tenure is not due until 2020, when the country holds its next general elections.

The president was addressing multitude of workers who gathered at Samora stadium in Iringa Region to celebrate International Workers’ Day

The Head of State said the government was currently focusing on implementing development projects and added that salary increase would only come after the ongoing projects have been completed.

Sufficient funds

Construction of the standard gauge railway (SGR) line to link the commercial city of Dar es Salaam with the capital of Dodoma, Stiegler's Gorge hydroelectric project at the Selous Game Reserve, construction of International Airports, are some of the projects being cited by the government.

“For me, I think it is better to allocate sufficient funds to facilitate implementation of the development projects rather than increasing salary to workers,” he said.

He added “Salary increase will also depend on performance and accountability of public workers. I therefore encourage workers to continue working hard.”