We still need our MP's in Parliament-workers

By Charles Etukuri and Carol Natukunda   

The umbrella Organisation of workers in the country, the National Organisation of the Trade Unions (NOTU) and the Central Organisation of Free Trade Unions (COFTU) on Monday came in defence of their Members of Parliament following a Constitutional Court ruling that last month declared the election of Youth, Army and Workers representatives in Parliament illegal.

 
The Court blocked the forthcoming elections of the representatives of the army, youth and workers in Parliament after discovering that the existing laws governing their election to parliament was unconstitutional.

This follows three constitutional petitions that were initially separately filed by three petitioners, Robinson Kasozi, Legal Actions for Persons with Disability and Moses Mauku with Catherine Aneno, challenging as unconstitutional the law that governs the elections of the interest groups.

The Petition was against the Electoral Commission, the Attorney General and National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda.

The petitioners had argued that the previous holding of elections in respect of the youth, workers and people with disabilities contravened certain provisions of the Constitution and they should be declared null and void.

In a joint press Conference addressed by the Chairman General, Usherwilson Owere workers maintained that they supported their representation in Parliament.

“A lot been said since the constitutional court ruled that the Youth, Army and Workers are represented in Parliament illegally. We workers support the issue of being represented in parliament and we want to state categorically that our being represented in parliament has helped the labor movement to reach this level and we are equally concerned and believe that the other two constituencies which include the UPDF and the Youth have done the same to their constituencies,” Owere said.

Owere also said that the National Resistance Movement Government had recognized the importance of workers to be represented at different levels and freely organize and negotiate their terms and conditions of the services.

“We are therefore not surprised when we hear the leader of opposition attacking special interest groups and that shows that the opposition doesn't believe in the right to representation of special interest groups,” he further noted.

Owere called upon all workers both in the Union and non-Union members to be very careful how they associate with people who clearly want to take our country back to darkness where workers, the Army and the Youths were not part of the management of the country.

“We want also to warn our brothers who have decided to fight the special interest groups especially the workers where they claim to be members of that family, we want to clearly state that we know the petitioners’ scheme, they have got funding from negative forces to disorganize the labor movement and of course destabilize the country, they have always been agents of the exploiters , we want to warn employers who are dealing with those people to take note that they are dealing with wrong elements and this might affect their relationship with the entire labor movement”.

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