Labour Day should speak to the workers

Yesterday, Uganda joined the rest of the world in celebrating the International Labour Day, commemorated every 1st day of May. Some issues have become part of the speeches on such days over the years but with no solutions in sight.

The Labour Day speech is not complete without mention of minimum wage, unemployment levels, and the rights of workers at the workplace.

However, nothing much seems to be done after the day-long celebrations. We still see workers doing their jobs under very harsh conditions despite the international standards of the right to work under satisfactory, safe, and healthy conditions; to rest, and to have reasonable working hours; for an employee to practice his or her profession.

The labour laws in Uganda and the Constitution provide strong legal protection for labour rights, but in practice, employees largely do not reap the benefits of these legislations.

The social, economic, and political conditions do not favour the implementation of the laws, which exposes the workers to harsh conditions, and a lack of personal security; some live in bad conditions, while others, especially women are still being sexually exploited or harassed and choose silence in fear of losing their jobs.

Those who work in factories rarely have personal protective equipment such as gloves, overalls, or gumboots, and are exposed to fumes, and cuts from machines, while at the same time earning low salaries, which in many cases also delay to come.

Recently, KCCA workers staged a peaceful demonstration demanding their pay, which they said had been delayed for months. Their action attracted the attention of the leadership, including Parliament to call for action. However, many of such workers have been working in factories, mines, and homes without pay and may not have the capacity to raise their voices.

In addition, an average Ugandan, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, earns Shs200,000 per month. Given Uganda’s rising cost of living, Shs200,000 cannot cater to the needs of an average family in villages or towns for more than two weeks. The prices of foodstuffs and essential household commodities such as soap, sugar, and salt have been rising.

Another research whose results were released recently showed that more than 70 percent of Ugandans cannot live on their salaries up to the end of the month. All these are issues that must be given thought and deliberate measures taken to address them.

The government should take decisive action not only on job creation but focus on decent work as it drives the agenda of poverty alleviation. Decent work goes beyond just having a job, but offering opportunities beyond survival as is the case now.

Uganda has registered tremendous improvement in its economic rating over the last two decades. However, economic prosperity should go hand in hand with investing in people, respecting the rights of workers, and offering decent pay for their labour.

This should include addressing issues of corruption in employment, and avail social protection for marginalised or vulnerable workers who many times are insecure and poorly paid.