Why Ugandans hate to work-International Labour Day Supplement

Today, Uganda joins the rest of the world in commemorating the International Labour Day. Joel Ogwang interviewed Patrick Okello, the assistant commissioner labour productivity in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) on pertinent facets of the day and below are excerpts.

Question: Uganda is a signatory to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention on the rights of workers. When did the country join?
Answer. Uganda became a member of ILO soon after Independence in 1962. We have been a signatory to the ILO Convention on rights of workers for 50 years now.

Question: Why and how did we become a member?
We applied under the influence of labour unions in order to fulfill our obligations under the various conventions like prevention of child labour, forced labour, occupational health and safety, among others. In order to benefit from all these, countries are compelled to apply to become members of ILO.

Question: What benefits accrue to membership?
There is international recognition, training and capacity-building, funding of labour projects and sharing of experiences. There is also promoting social dialogue and strengthening implementation of existing labour laws.

Question: The 2012 theme is “social dialogue; a tool for national development”. How does it resonate with the realities of Ugandan workplaces?
The theme addresses a number of issues; provides fertile grounds for job creation since it enhances negotiations between the Government, employers and employees.

It also promotes labour market information sharing because through social dialogue, information is disseminated to different stakeholders, especially the job applicants.

It enables the implementation of the tripartite charter and settlement of disputes, which are partly responsible for the tight labour market in Uganda, with employers arbitrarily dismissing employees. Lastly, the theme helps potential producers market their commodities and potential jobs for jobs to market their skills.

Question: Looking at the Ugandan job market- related challenges like arbitrary dismissals, poor remunerations and a generally bad working environment, why should a Ugandan worker celebrate Labour Day?
This day is commemorated worldwide to recognise the contribution of workers and their achievements regardless of their nationalitib es, ethnicity, linguistics, cultural, economic or political differences. Being a signatory to ILO conventions and a member of the UN where ILO is a key branch, Uganda is, indeed, obliged to recognise her workers. We are celebrating this day to promote peace and harmony in the workplace.

Question: Why is unemployment such a big problem in Uganda?
Unemployment is a global problem. In Uganda, we have two problems; unemployment and under-employment. This is because the jobs being created are not matching the number of people completing formal education, there is lack of skills yet, worst still, some skills are not relevant to the jobs available. We are also not competitive compared to our neighbours; for example, current statistics show that one Kenyan worker can do work that six Ugandans would do and one Tanzanian does work meant for four Ugandans!

We are also experiencing increasing rural-urban migration and a problem of poor attitude towards work, especially resulting from cultural diversities.

Our education system is inappropriate, producing graduates who are more of job-seekers than creators and with a mismatch between acquired skills and employers’ requirements. For example, if you are a trained hangman supposed to work in Luzira; what else can you do if there is no one to hang?

Question: What is the minimum age for one to engage in gainful employment?
Any Ugandan of 18 years and above can engage in gainful employment, but for essential domestic chores, even persons below 18-years can provide labour if it is not forced labour, for example washing clothes or polishing shoes.

Question: What is the lawful time a worker can spend at work in Uganda?
According to the Employment Act, 2006, a person should work for eight-hours a day. The Act also spells out that the maximum working hours for employees shall be 48-hours a week, excluding public holidays.

Question: Is the age and time of work a local issue or in consonance with best practices on work globally?
We have the same rates