Independence in the eyes of a worker
Workers require robust institutions, clear legal safeguards, and strong collective mechanisms to protect their livelihoods when circumstances change, writes Andrew Muhandiki.
Andrew Muhandiki is the general secretary of Uganda Government & Allied Workers Union
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✍️🏾 OPINION
By Andrew Muhandiki
As Uganda celebrates 64 years of independence today (October 9), the nation once again pauses to honour the men and women who fought for our right to self-determination. Yet, for millions of ordinary workers, the day may represent something far simpler: a welcome public holiday, a break from routine, a family gathering, or a brief window to catch up on household chores.
This reality invites a deeper, more searching question: what does independence actually mean to the ordinary Ugandan worker?
Political independence granted Uganda the sovereign right to govern itself. But for a worker who wakes up every morning unsure if their job will survive tomorrow—earning a wage that struggles to match the rising cost of living, and fearful that speaking out will cost them their livelihood—independence remains fundamentally incomplete.
True national freedom cannot end at emancipation from colonial rule. It must encompass freedom from economic vulnerability, workplace insecurity, and the suppression of the worker’s voice.
For most Ugandans, employment is the sole foundation supporting an entire household. A worker’s salary pays rent, school fees, medical bills, transport, and supports extended family members.
This is why job security must sit at the centre of national development strategy. Uganda’s public service, for instance, has endured repeated restructurings and rationalization drives, leaving many workers abruptly unemployed.
Across both public and private sectors, contractual protections remain fragile. Positions considered permanent today can dissolve tomorrow through agency mergers, district administrative changes, technological displacement, or corporate down-sizing.
While businesses must adapt, job security should not depend solely on an employer's goodwill. Workers require robust institutions, clear legal safeguards, and strong collective mechanisms to protect their livelihoods when circumstances change.
Uganda’s Constitution and the Labour Unions Act explicitly guarantee every worker the right to join a trade union, bargain collectively, and participate in lawful union activities without employer interference or coercion.
Yet, workplace reality often diverges from the statute books.
A worker who fears that union involvement or speaking up about wages, safety, and unfair treatment will invite victimization may possess a legal right, but lack the practical security to exercise it. Rights only become meaningful when citizens can exercise them without fear.
While Uganda’s economy continues to expand through investment and entrepreneurship, the key question remains: how fairly are the fruits of this growth distributed between capital and labor?
If national productivity and corporate profits rise while real wages remain stagnant, workers are justified in asking where their share of progress lies. Economic independence must mean building an economy where those who generate the nation's wealth can live with dignity.
A nation cannot claim its people are fully free if the majority spend their productive years under the constant anxiety of losing their livelihood.
Responsible trade unionism and structured social dialogue—through platforms like the Public Service Negotiating and Consultative Council—are not acts of disloyalty. They are essential components of good governance, accountability, and institutional growth.
On this 64th anniversary of Uganda, the ultimate test of independence is not just whether we are politically self-governing, but whether the Ugandan worker is economically secure.
The generation of 1962 secured our political self-determination. The duty of our generation is to deepen that legacy into economic, social, and human freedom.
For the ordinary worker, independence is not measured by the strength of a single holiday's celebrations, but by the dignity, fairness, and security experienced every working day of the year.
(The author is the general secretary of Uganda Government & Allied Workers Union - UGAWU)