Companies fault govt over loopholes in labour export
Some Ugandans wait to be cleared at Entebbe International Airport before they take a flight from Uganda to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for work. Dubai has banned flights from Uganda due to Covid-19. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
Mr Baker Akantambira, the chairperson of Uganda Association of Recruitment Agencies (UAERA), said illegal traffickers have taken advantage of loopholes in government systems
Labour export companies have decried loopholes in the government management of labour export, which they say has paralysed their work.
Representatives of the companies made the remarks during a conference at the Office of the President yesterday.
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Mr Baker Akantambira, the chairperson of Uganda Association of Recruitment Agencies (UAERA), said illegal traffickers have taken advantage of loopholes in government systems.
“We have enemies in the sector and those are the human traffickers, unfortunately, the responsible persons put all the blame on UAERA companies. We have our directors incarcerated for doing everything. We ask you [government] to free them,” he said.
Mr Akantambira cited a major challenge posed by girls who travel abroad as sex workers. He also decried the non-existent monitoring framework and the bureaucracies in government offices.
“We can collaborate and have an integrated monitoring framework,” Mr Akantambira added.
Mr Jorem Oitit, the chief executive officer of Trustin Company Ltd, said: “The people we take abroad for work do not understand their contracts . You take someone today and after three days, they want to come back.”
“We ask the government to increase the training centres, so that these people can access information,” he added.
Mr Oitit also encouraged those seeking employment abroad to use recruitment agencies to ensure they are in safe hands.
Training centres
Ms Sumayah Nsambu Quraish, an administrative officer at the Kawempe Training Centre, said they don’t have enough skilling centres for women going abroad.
Ms Amelia Kyambadde, who was representing the Office of the President, said: “Government should engage labour companies while drafting the labour externalisation bilateral agreements and avail them to the public.”
She added that the government would put up more trainings centres to teach people about labour export.
Ms Phoebe Kukkiriza, a former domestic worker in Saudi Arabia, decried how housemaids are abandoned in foreign countries.
“I remember when I was working in Saudi Arabia, the boss did not allow me to use my phone and yet it was indicated in the contract. My time for rest was also violated,” Ms Kukkiriza said.
Mr Milton Turyasiima, a representative of the Labour ministry, said there are 145,000 people working in Saudi Arabia, contributing about $1.2 billion as revenue for economic development.
The event attracted more than 90 labour export companies.
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