Observance of employee rights (including the right to unionise) and procedures for handling and settling labour disputes in Zanzibar 742. The Labour Relations Act of 2005 of Zanzibar is the primary law on labour matters. It establishes the Labour Commission to deal with labour issues and rights, and the Dispute Handling Unit to deal with disputes related to rights or interest. The CSAR admits that despite the presence of the institutional framework, the Labour Dispute Unit is in its infancy, leaving the widespread labour violations (including arbitrary firing and inadequate wages) to go unchecked. In addition, the independent conciliators and the dispute resolving commission are yet to be established. Workman’s Compensation 743. Tanzania has a new Workman’s Compensation Act of 2008, which aims at providing adequate and equitable compensation for employees who suffer occupational injuries or contact occupation diseases in the course of their employment, and in the case of death. The law also makes provision for the rehabilitation of employees who have suffered occupational injuries or contracted occupational diseases. The CSAR quotes reports from the Labour Department111 that demonstrate a poor compensation record for employees who have been injured in the course of work. According to statistics drawn from the Dodoma Labour Office for the period 2005-2007, industrial accidents were “not compensated in time or not compensated at all.” Table 5.6: Workman’s Compensation Record (2005-2007) Year Status of Organization Central Government Local Government Parastatal Organisations Private Organisations Reported accidents Compensated accidents Reported accidents Compensated accidents Reported accidents Compensated accidents Reported accidents Compensated accidents 2005 12 4 14 0 10 0 14 2 2006 26 5 17 0 11 2 22 9 2007 14 0 7 0 6 0 9 3 Source: CSAR (from Labour Department, Dodoma) Occupational safety 744. Tanzania recently enacted the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 2003 whose objective is to ensure the creation and maintenance of ideal work environments, free from occupational hazards that may cause injuries or illness to employees in work environments. The Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OSHA) is charged with the implementation of this law. Unfortunately, the CSAR states poor compliance with health and safety standards at work, partly due to the fact that Tanzania has not ratified key health and safety ILO conventions112. A second reason for this poor compliance record is the fact that Tanzania has no comprehensive national occupational safety and health policy. Labour department of Dodoma. Convention 155 – Occupational Health and Safety. Convention 161 – Occupational Health Services. Convention 167 – Safety in Building and Construction Sites. Convention 176 – Safety and Health in Mines. Convention 184 – Safety and Health in Agriculture. 111 112 153