2nd edition of National Labour Convention opens in Kampala

“In recent years, we have ensured that the judiciary budget is not touched, and right now we are negotiating to ensure that the industrial court budget is not touched,” said the minister.

“We also want to see the court reaching more Ugandans because currently, there is only one here in Kampala. What about the other 146 districts? They cannot walk to Kampala

“We are discussing with the industrial court judge who has made proposals on how they can take the court to the people when cases accumulate.”

Hon Amongi on the other hand, reiterated President Yoweri Museveni’s commitment to ensuring a decent working environment for all Ugandans while also fighting unemployment.

The president, she said, wants to secure the future of Ugandans through job creation and inclusive development.

“We cannot begin to talk about labour justice when people don't have jobs. The number of unemployed people is increasing by the day. The president wants us to attract more investors and create more jobs in all sectors.

Ministers Balaam Barugahara and Davinia Anyakun at the convention pulse uganda

Convention expanded

The 2-day labour convention kicked on at Mestil Hotel in Kampala with key stakeholders rooting for better and more impactful implementation of the existing labour laws, protection of workers from unfair dismissals, ensuring proper payment of wages and remittance of workers' social security money.

Alex Asiimwe, the Commissioner of Labour and Industrial Relations said this year’s convention has been expanded to include a wide range of players including lawyers, judges and development partners.

The convention, he said, is intended to “enhance the understanding of the labour laws, provide information on the status of labour, enable dialogue and consensus building among stakeholders and increase advocacy from development partners to support the decent work agenda.”

Benard Oundo, the President of the Uganda Law Society in his remarks called for engagement in a robust discussion, sharing experiences and proposals for actionable recommendations all aimed at advancing labour justice in Uganda.

Aggrey David Kibenge, the Gender Ministry PS highlighted a number of hurdles that labour justice continues to face in Uganda, including poor infrastructure along the labour justice chain, lack of awareness among workers and resistance from employers.

He, however, expressed optimism that the government is interested in addressing these gaps as seen from the steps taken to establish the industrial court, as well as the enactment of laws such as the Employment Act, the Labour Union Act and the Workers Compensation Act.

Belgian Deputy Ambassador to Uganda HE Luc Pirson also emphasized the need to push for a safe and conducive working environment in Uganda, stressing that the “focus should not be on the mere creation of jobs but lifting employment to the next level of decent work.”

The convention was graced by several top government officials including, Hon Davinia Anyakun, the State Minister for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations, Hon Balaam Barugahara, the State Minister of Youth and Children Affairs and Hon Peace Mutuuzo, the State Minister for Gender and Culture.