Uganda's minimum wage hasn't been changed from Shs6,000 - CSO

Speaking ahead of the Labour Day events scheduled for today in Namutumba District, SEATINI Uganda Policy Analyst Penninah Mbabazi called for a review of the laws to suit the current trends and accord workers, especially on plantations dignified employment.

According to civil society, the government has been reluctant to review the law that sets a minimum wage, almost 40 years since the last review that set 6,000 Shillings as the lowest that a worker in Uganda should be paid.

Since that time, various economic changes including currency reforms in 1987, inflation, as well as economic expansion 12 times over have occurred in the country. It is under this premise that the government has been tasked with improving its labour laws and policies for workers to have more dignified livelihoods.

Robinah Kagoye, the Executive Director of Voices for Labour, argued that reasoned that the informal, small, and medium enterprises have created multiple employment opportunities while there's no evidence that multinationals have created the desired level of employment despite the incentives they receive.

According to them, “there are glaring gaps in labour rights policies and the administration of the existing laws” which enable the continued violation and abuse of workers’ rights in Uganda. Abuse and violation take the forms of low pay, sexual abuse, and poor working conditions like lack of protective gear, among others.

Labour statistics

According to the Uganda Annual National Labour Force Survey of 2021, the majority of employed persons (67%) were employed on the basis of oral agreements, so only 33% had written contracts. This situation puts the majority of Ugandan workers at the mercy of employers instead of merit and labour protection laws.

Joseph Byomuhangyi, the coordinator of the Uganda Consortium of Corporate Accountability, says the figures at the Ministry of Gender, Labour at social development showing that 10.3 million Ugandans out of the eligible 23.6 are in real employment is also misleading because of the poor return the workers get.

Reforms

National Organisations of Trade Unions (NOTU) Chairman General, Usher Wilson Owere says the labour sector has not received the attention it deserves. He called for streamlining of labour administration in Uganda, adding that the removal of Pius Bigirimana as Permanent Secretary reversed the reforms that had been embarked on.

He called for the formation of a ministry designed for labour-related issues, instead of having a department that competes for space with women, youth, children, culture, elderly, and persons with disabilities, among others.

He also proposed a ministry that combines sectors that are related.

The CSOs have also called on the government and parliament to expedite the law reforms including the passing of the Employment Amendment Bill, 2022, Employment (Sexual Harassment Regulations, 2012), National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, among others.

The CSOs also questioned why, although each district is mandated to have a labour officer, many districts do not have substantive labour officers in place. The few who have them get a hard time collecting funds to execute their duties.

According to Robert Kirenga, the government’s huge public expenditure is evidence that resources are available. However, as long as priorities are not set right, there will always be underfunding in the labour sector as the resources go to political appointees like ministers, MPs, and advisors.