Judge urges CAOs to facilitate labour officers

Sep 19, 2018

“Failure by CAOs to facilitate labour officers cripples the work of the whole Industrial Court."

PIC: The chief judge of the Industrial Court, Justice Asaph Ntengye Ruhinda (right) and the court's registrar Sylvia Nabaggala at the  Labour officers in Kampala. (Credit: Wilfred Sanya)

WELFARE


KAMPALA - Industrial Court chief judge, Asaph Ntengye Ruhinda, has urged chief administrative officers to facilitate labour officers in their respective districts in the performance of their day-to-day duties.

He made the call following an outcry of district labour officers, particularly those who work in the hard-to-reach areas of the country.

Ruhinda said such officers rely on the mercy of the already drained complainants in the running of their offices because they lack facilitation.

This was during a one-day training seminar of labour officers, the third of its kind, organised by the Industrial Court of Uganda and sponsored by the Justice Law and Order Sector.

Over 50 participants took part in the seminar in Ntinda, Kampala.

Ruhinda said that in terms of structure, as far as the administration of labour justice is concerned, a CAO is responsible for and is expected to facilitate the labour officer in the district in reaching justifiable decisions in the administration of justice.

"Failure by CAOs to facilitate labour officers, who act as the court of first instance in their day to day duties in resolving labour disputes, cripples the work of the whole Industrial Court due to lack of proper record that is expected from the lower labour courts," he said.

A cross-section of participants of the seminar in Kampala. (Credit: Wilfred Sanya)



The chief judge said non-provision of adequate facilitation to the district labour officers as required and necessary exposes them to corruption.

He also expressed concern over the delay by the concerned authority in appointing substantive labour officers,  that has hindered the adequate dispensation of labour justice.

Many people, currently referred to as district labour officers, are, without doubt, district community development officers, whose role is quite different from that of labour officers, he added.

Ruhinda had earlier educated the participants on being ethical, keeping integrity, decorum and the attributes of a labour officer, who is supposed to be an adjudicator, conciliator, mediator and arbitrator.

According to Industrial Court registrar Sylvia Nabaggala, there are only 35 substantive district labour officers in Uganda -- yet each of the 121 districts that there are in the country is supposed to have at least one substantive labour officer.

Nabaggala said that of the 35 substantive labour officers, 10 are serving at the gender ministry while 10 others are at Kampala Labour Office. This means many districts are left to depend on community development officers, who neither have knowledge, training nor tools to resolve labour disputes.

She advised the labour officers to take a diploma course to get acquainted with law and thus avoid being confused and intimidated by lawyers, who use legalese when representing complainants.

Justice Linda Lillian Tumusiime Mugisha took the participants through trial procedure and writing awards to enhance their knowledge and skills in arbitrating disputes and how to write informed decisions.

Prossy Ingabire, the court's official mediation trainer, took the them through the Employment Act, saying it provides the labour officers power to investigate all complaints before them thoroughly to enable them make justifiable decision.

 

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