Rights bodies call for the protection of casual labourers

Sep 03, 2018

There is no difference between casual workers and staff workers except that the former are ignorant of their human rights which employers take advantage of

Human rights defenders have decried the exploitation of casual labourers/workers saying the national action plan on business and human rights should be developed to curb the vice.

The advocates of human rights cited casual labourers who work in the manufacturing and hotel industries and the flower sector as the most exploited to the extent that a worker is paid sh500 per day.

They argued that in addition to less pay, casual workers are sexually abused by their employers, which calls for urgent attention of having the national action plan on business and human rights as per UN principles/guidelines on remedies and legal framework.

This was during a symposium to inform the national consultative strategy on the development of national action plan on business and human rights in Uganda at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala on Friday.

The symposium was organised by Uganda Human Rights Network Uganda to seek views among different stakeholders with regard to the development of the national action plan on business and human rights and to share experiences with regards to implementing the United Nations protect, respect and remedy framework in the context of Uganda.

"We have had cases in hotels where room attendants are raped by guests and employers as they clean the rooms and sugar factory casual workers are paid only sh500 per day. This is unacceptable," Ruth Ssekindi the director of monitoring and Treaties at Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) said.

Enraged by the suffering of casual workers under the employers' hands, Ssekindi cited those working in sugarcane plantations, stone quarries, cement and cigarettes factories among others, where occupational health safety is wanting.

She said some pregnant women have ended up having miscarriages due to poor occupational health safety.

Ssekindi said when her commission raises such issues with different government agencies they are labelled as ‘economic saboteurs' especially by the companies employing the casual workers.

"Companies hold a lot of powers to abuse the rights of casual workers and this should stop," she said.

A casual worker is a person who offers his labour for payment on a daily basis.

She said to address the plight of casual workers requires concerted efforts by all stakeholders using multi-facet approach in ensuring the rights of the affected people are not violated.

Ssekindi was supported by Sylvia Nabatanzi Muwebwa, the chairperson of Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC), who said tea and sugar factory casual workers drink polluted water as a result of toxic waste thrown in their working environment.

Nabatanzi told participants that her office is flooded by casual labourers whose rights have been abused and promised that the commission would investigate.

"How can a casual labourer who weighs 40kg be asked to carry a hammer which weighs 65kg to break stones?" Nabatanzi asked in reference to the stone quarry and limestone business.

She said her office has received complaints of women being sexually abused.

"We are investigating together with the human rights commission about these cases of human rights violation," she said.

Nabatanzi called upon lawmakers to intervene against the exploitation of casual workers by employers and not only go to their constituencies when they are looking for votes.

"Whoever violates the rights of casual workers should be brought to book," she stated.

She noted that the issue of MPs making laws that are not implemented is dangerous to the welfare of the people.

"Let us address bigger issues within the business environment and what needs to be done is to incorporate them into the national action plan," Nabatanzi said.

Mohammed Ndifuna the executive director of Human Rights Network Uganda said the protection of casual workers' human rights is paramount in the working environment and this should be pegged to the UN protect, respect and remedy framework.

"We are only reminding government to implement what the UN guidelines and African Commission on Human Rights require since Uganda is a signatory to those treaties/charters," Ndifuna said.

Francis Odong, assistant commissioner occupational health and safety at the ministry of gender, said there is no difference between casual workers and staff workers except that the former are ignorant of their human rights which employers take advantage of.

"Casual labourers do not know their rights and because of desperation will not ask for a written contract on how much he or she is going to be paid," Odong said.

He however, stressed that the Occupational and Health Act has some inefficiencies and needs to be amended so that perpetrators of human rights violations are prosecuted.

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