Informal sector workers complain of maginalisation

By Al Mahdi Ssenkabirwa

Posted Wednesday, April 7 2010 at 00:00

Kampala
Unionised workers in the informal sector have petitioned the government complaining of deliberate maginalisation by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development.

In their two-paged petition addressed to the Prime Minister, Prof. Apolo Nsibambi, the workers argue that the line ministry has failed to perform its duty of protecting the rights of all workers including those in the informal economy by restricting the right to unionise on formal employee-employer relationship.

“… As regards unions in informal economy, it is surprising for the ministry to try to exclude these many workers of their freedom of association which is enshrined in the national constitution, labour laws and international labour standards,” reads part of the petition dated March 19.


The petitioners say they form the biggest percentage of the working population and whoever is questing for their integration into the labour movement could be having a “questionable agenda”.

Six general secretaries representing unions in the informal sector signed the petition. The unions represented include, Uganda Markets and Employers’ Union, National Union of Drivers, Cyclists and Allied Workers, Uganda Farm and Agro-Based Workers’ Union. Others are; National Union of Infrastructural, Civil Works and Wood Workers and Uganda Artisans and General Workers’ Union.

A worker is internationally defined as anyone who lives by selling his /her capacity to work, either for wages or for other forms of income. Over 400,000 workers are unionised in Uganda. Some are registered with the National Organisation of Trade Unions (Notu) while others are with Central Organisation of Free Trade Unions (Coftu).

The workers also took a swipe at some of their representatives in Parliament whom they say they are trying to disenfranchise the rights of some organised workers in the informal economy to participate in elections for workers MPs.

However, workers MP Sam Lwomoki, who also doubles as the secretary general for Coftu, dismissed the claims, saying they are doing whatever is possible to unionise all workers in the country.

“The problem could be with the ministry but at our level we are doing whatever possible to liberate all workers in the country,” he said by telephone on Monday.

When contacted by Jobs and Career, Gender, Labour and Social Affairs Minister Gabriel Opio said the ministry was aware about their concerns and negotiations were ongoing to address them.

“We are aware of their concerns and there is going to be a meeting between us and their leaders this Thursday to try and resolve their issues,” he said on Monday.

Dr Opio said the government has previously held meetings with the complaining groups and the last one took place on March 30 under the chairmanship of Mr Daudi Migereko, the government chief whip. The workers want Prof. Nsibambi to direct the Ministry of Labour to allow all organised workers in the informal sector to participate in parliamentary elections for workers.
“We also ask the Prime Minister to direct the Ministry of Labour to provide a policy framework for smooth operation of informal sector unions and desist from the pre-fixed mind of only recognising unions organising workers who have the formal employer-employee relationship,” reads the petition.

This development comes days after unionised civil servants also petitioned the same office contesting the attorney general’s legal opinion on some provisions of the Political Parties and Organisations Act, 2005 that bar them from engaging in political party activities.
Although the Attorney General argues that all civil servants have to first resign their positions before they take part in party primaries/politics ,the latter insist that this provision shouldn’t apply to unionised civil servants.

“…The law requiring public officers to resign first in a multi-party system was not intended for those workers intending to represent workers or vote for their representatives who must belong to a labour union,” the civil servants said in the page-four petition.