Museveni warns on minimum wage
Apr 05, 2005
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has cautioned trade unions against intimidating investors over workers’ minimum wage and unionisation. <br>He asked the unions to encourage more investment to create more employment opportunities.
By Milton Olupot
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has cautioned trade unions against intimidating investors over workers’ minimum wage and unionisation.
He asked the unions to encourage more investment to create more employment opportunities.
Museveni said this at a three-day regional conference on peace, security, democracy and development in the Great Lakes Region at the Imperial Resort Beach Hotel in Entebbe yesterday.
He said MPs and trade unions should attract investors and not chase them away.
“Workers MPs should help me attract factories and stop those slogans of minimum wage and unionisation of workers. Once there are enough factories and there is excess demand for workers, the minimum wage will automatically go up and the workers will have a greater voice on unionisation,†he said.
The conference was organised by the National Organisation of Trade Unions (NOTU) and ICFTU-AFRO Nairobi.
Gender, labour and social development minister Zoe Bakoko Bakoru said her ministry and that of finance were working on a policy document to address the minimum wage and workers’ unionisation.
She said workers should form a coalition on a regional basis to have a bigger voice and influence.
NOTU secretary general Lyelmoi Ongaba said the labour ministry faced difficulties from investors, who defied orders and denied workers unionisation.
Museveni said Uganda was moving in the right direction because the last census indicated that people depending on agriculture were reducing.
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has cautioned trade unions against intimidating investors over workers’ minimum wage and unionisation.
He asked the unions to encourage more investment to create more employment opportunities.
Museveni said this at a three-day regional conference on peace, security, democracy and development in the Great Lakes Region at the Imperial Resort Beach Hotel in Entebbe yesterday.
He said MPs and trade unions should attract investors and not chase them away.
“Workers MPs should help me attract factories and stop those slogans of minimum wage and unionisation of workers. Once there are enough factories and there is excess demand for workers, the minimum wage will automatically go up and the workers will have a greater voice on unionisation,†he said.
The conference was organised by the National Organisation of Trade Unions (NOTU) and ICFTU-AFRO Nairobi.
Gender, labour and social development minister Zoe Bakoko Bakoru said her ministry and that of finance were working on a policy document to address the minimum wage and workers’ unionisation.
She said workers should form a coalition on a regional basis to have a bigger voice and influence.
NOTU secretary general Lyelmoi Ongaba said the labour ministry faced difficulties from investors, who defied orders and denied workers unionisation.
Museveni said Uganda was moving in the right direction because the last census indicated that people depending on agriculture were reducing.