Labour recruitment companies petition labour ministry

EMPLOYMENT

Employment recruitment agencies have asked Ministry of Gender, Labour & Social Development to allow domestic workers go abroad and work.

Employment recruitment agencies on Monday filed a petition on external employment at the Ministry of Gender, Labor & Social Development. They were represented by Joan Namale, chairperson for concerned citizens.

Through concerned citizens organization , they say failure to allow the girls go abroad and work is rendering  the girls unemployed yet it does have a specific framework that is designed to help them.

Nakato  Grace,  a domestic worker  says that it is very unfair to be under the lockdown at this time and allow only few individuals to fly out of  the country because everyone's salary is deducted. She said a certain percentage goes to the government treasury through monetary exchanges.

"Such treatment violates human constitutional rights to employment and deprives them of their freedom of movement", she says.
According to Ezra Mugisha director, Horeb Services (U) Limited, all employment-recruiting services have been in negotiations with the government through the Ministry of Gender, Labour  and Social Development. He says the ministry  has been promising to respond immediately.

Employment recruitment agencies contend that they have been called several times for round table discussions with Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and other stakeholders but there is no positive response at all times though they are waiting patiently so that the girls are free to move for greener pastures.

"All in all, we are supposed to remain patient at all times despite receiving numerous calls and refunds from various clients who had already booked with various companies to go and work. The situation is very tricky and we  are waiting to hear from the cabinet meeting that is going to take place soon", he adds.

We ask the government of Uganda to open up the airport for employment recruitment companies to send people for work abroad to prevent human trafficking that is taking place through various border points which has caused problems  like rape, fraud and sometimes death to the innocent girl child," the petition requested.

In 2019, there were 21,716 Ugandan migrant domestic workers in Saudi Arabia and Jordan alone: 17,597 in Saudi Arabia and 4,119 in Jordan respectively. They said failure by the government to let migrant workers leave for greener pastures violates their constitutional right to employment yet it does not have any organized framework to have them employed within their own country.

Employment recruitment agencies say  the  ministry should ensure that all migrant domestic workers go through rightful channels so that they can be helped in case of emergencies.

They also want the Ministry of Gender, Labour  and Social Development to direct all employment recruitment companies to forcefully use the comprehensive framework on how they intend to ensure that human trafficking is minimised in the country .

According to Aggrey David Kibenge, Permanent Secretary at Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, the government made a wide decision to stop work migration basing on the advice of the Ministry of Health due to the advance effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He added that it is now a month since the lockdown was lifted, the restrictions remain in place and it is in favor of only few people like tourists and Ugandans who are returning home alongside nationals with emergency cases who are allowed to move in and out of the country.

"The youths claim to have given recruitment companies money for their movements for visas, travel tickets at the time the restrictions were made and unfortunately, the money will not be refunded but they must remain patient and wait for the final word from the cabinet meeting that is sitting soon for approval of such movements", he advised.