UPC proposes six points of action to solve labor gaps

The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) has said it is time to act to end injustices against Ugandan workers. In a proactive move, the party recommended six action points.

They include; decentralization of labor courts to regions with at least one judge in each, digitalization of labor inspection using the ILO’s access to justice tool for labor self-assessment, promotion of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to reduce the accumulation of cases in formal courts, passing minimum wage law as Kenya and Tanzania have done.

Others are; establish the wages and remuneration commission as provided in the 1995 Constitution of Uganda and finally upgrade the workforce with increased investments in capital, labour-based technology and human capital development.

The labor sector of the party, in a statement on the occasion of International Labor Day 2024, highlighted that widespread injustices were a bottleneck in effective labor productivity.

“One obvious area is the large disparities in wages and remuneration among workers in Uganda. Political leaders have many privileges and benefits compared to mainstream public services and the private sector. To be a deputy, you only need to have an S.6 degree or its equivalent, while to be a kindergarten teacher, you need to have a degree. However, a congressman earns more than 20 million, while a primary school teacher earns only about 480,000. This is unfair,” said Michael Osinde Orach, national leader of the party workers.

Uganda on Wednesday, May 1, joined the rest of the world to commemorate the day under the theme; “Improving access to employment justice: a prerequisite for greater productivity.”

The national celebrations presided over by President Yoweri Museveni were held at the Mukabura Grounds in Fort Portal City.

This day is commemorated in gratitude for the contribution of workers to national development. It is also used to raise national and international awareness about the importance of promoting and protecting workers’ rights. Additionally, the day is an occasion to remind workers of their responsibilities and obligations.

According to Osinde, the day is well aligned with the UPC’s socialist ideology of ending poverty, ignorance and disease.

“The UPC has always put workers at the center of its development agenda since its independence and that is why the UPC even created the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) in 1969.

Be that as it may, there is no minimum wage law in Uganda either. The last law was approved by the UPC in 1982. It set the minimum wage at 6,000. To date this has not been updated. All of the above contributes to low productivity,” said Osinde.

According to Osinde, Ugandan workers have low productivity compared to their East African counterparts.

It cites a 2023 report by the Center for Economic Policy Research, which measured the productivity of a worker in Uganda per hour at $3.53, while in Kenya it is $4.75.

“This is due to low skills, low wages and informality as 70% of Ugandan workers do not have contracts, which is a violation of the Employment Act 2006 (as amended). In fact, the International Trade Union Confederation ranks Uganda 4 out of 5 (with 5 being the lowest) on the Workers Human Rights Index,” he said.

He added; “Within the public service, there are selective increases in salaries and benefits for certain professions and agencies, while others are left behind. Like science teachers and arts teachers, they teach the same students and stay on the same campus. There are no standard fees between boards and commissions. While a driver in an agency can earn Sh1.2 million, a driver in the public service earns Sh280,000. Then the boards and commissions grant each other the benefits they want.”

He added that there are a privileged few at the top of the government who receive significant benefits at the expense of ordinary workers.

“We recently saw former presidents drive away with gas-guzzling cars to be maintained by the government, among many other benefits. Then we have the service award or ‘Mpuuga award’ that the commissioners of Parliament gave themselves. Even as citizens were still making noise, last week Parliament, without due consideration, extended the same ‘Mpuuga service award’ to the current Auditor General, who is retiring soon. They granted him 500 million, in addition to other benefits such as the salary of the acting Auditor General, a car and a house. However, this is an Auditor General who has been earning 36 million a month being one of the highest paid Ugandans. What about ordinary workers? Teachers, nurses, police, etc. What are your service awards?

He added that wage disparities in Uganda and low salaries are some of the reasons for the high brain drain, adding that even civil servants also complain about the lack of adequate supplies to do their jobs effectively.

The World Bank estimates that 47% of Uganda’s skilled workers go abroad and that makes Uganda the 12th country with the most skilled workers working in OECD countries.

Osinde said the UPC government created the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) in the 1980s for the training and development of public servants, but it was closed in the 1990s. It was then recently reestablished as the Civil Service Training School. based in Jinja.

The other issues include occupational hazards in workplaces, especially in factories where incidents have been alarming.

“The majority of workers do not receive adequate protection, treatment or compensation. This is common among some so-called investors,” she said.