Trade union members express satisfaction following automation

The arrival of a digital information system shook things up somewhat at TUICO, the Tanzanian Tanzania Union of Industrial and Commercial Workers. Where previously employees disappeared for hours on end with files for the membership records piled high in front of them, one mouse click is now all that’s needed. Not only does it lead to more members, but it also contributes to financial sustainability. Mondiaal FNV supported the entire process.

Sebastian Gentanyi

Sebastian Gentanyi still remembers it well. When he offered his services to the union as ICT advisor five years ago, he saw how all the records were still being maintained manually, in Excel or in paper files in a dusty room. ‘It was virtually impossible to find out the correct number of trade union members. It was not unusual for people to be counted twice or even three times over.’ Even though, he stresses,  it’s incredibly important for a trade union to have the up-to-date at its disposal. Not only to be able to communicate with the members, but also to be able to collect the membership dues.  

Tendayi Matimba, Mondiaal FNV’s financial officer for Africa, explains to us that in Africa the membership system works differently from how it does for Dutch trade unions. ‘In the Netherlands the boss doesn’t know that you’re a member. In Africa the employer deducts the membership dues from the salary and transfers it to the Union. This means that the employer sometimes has a better idea of the membership numbers than the trade union itself. This dependence  can be problematic.’ 

Computer illiterates

Tendayi tells us that in the course of her work for Mondiaal FNV she has been involved with TUICO since 2016; initially when giving financial support for the automation of the bookkeeping. This was challenging, she says, ‘because the majority of the people who were working there at the time were computer illiterate.’ It was at the end of the sixties that the then General Secretary himself, with great foresight, made the decision to automate a greater part of the data flows.  

‘I now realise that the trade unions play a pivotal role in a community as defenders of worker rights. And I wanted to be a part of this.’ 

Sebastian describes how he first allowed himself two years to have a good look at how the trade union operated. ‘To be honest, up to then I had no idea what the point of a trade union was. I now realise that trade unions play a pivotal role in a community as defenders of worker rights. And I wanted to be a part of this. I also saw it as an opportunity to use my expertise as software developer to help people.’ Within the space of eighteen months, Sebastian developed the software for a comprehensive Management Information System (MIS) for TUICO. This not only maintains the bookkeeping records, but also the data of members and employers, CBAs, complaints, work plans, training programmes and other activities.

Financial sustainability 

To the question as to what makes this project so special, Sebastian responds enthusiastically. ‘For everything we do, for every decision that has to be taken, you need correct data. With this system you know with one mouse click which members you have, how old they are, which regional office they belong to or whether the membership dues have been paid. Keeping all this properly up-to-date is the only way trade unions can be financially sustainable. It’s now so much easier for us to send an invoice to the employers.’   

Beatrice Ouko heads up the Internal Audit Department. She, too, sees that the work is now performed much more efficiently. ‘We can now see at a glance the data for every region in the system. Previously, we sent all twenty-two regional office a paper report every month and we often had to travel to the regions. The digital system reduces the chances of errors.’

‘Workers see that TUICO is a professional organisation that can do something to help them.’ 

Better service, more members 

For the members, too, it is a huge improvement. Sebastian: ‘Workers see that TUICO is a professional organisation that can do something to help them.’ One example: the official membership card – previously a paper card with a photo stuck on – is now very much appreciated. Another example is the complaints procedure. Members are now able to submit a complaint without the knowledge of the management and then follow on the system what happens to their complaint. ‘We have also reached a lot of people via online meetings. All this has helped increase membership numbers, despite COVID’, explains Sebastian. Since 2016, the membership has grown by 40 percent.

Culture

Not everyone then working for TUICO was immediately convinced. According to Sebastian and Beatrice this is typical of trade union culture. ‘They say: “We have been doing it like this since 1980, so why are you telling us now to do it all differently?”’ The antidote to this scepticism was to do a lot of talking and explaining. And it’s had results too. Sebastian laughs. ‘Even the older members now eagerly use the system. In fact, they’re the first ones to complain whenever there’s a power failure.’  

The room with the files is still there, but no-one goes there anymore. ‘It’s now a museum.’