Workers yet to benefit from unions
Mr Paul Oketch, 45, a worker at one of the sugar manufacturing factories, joined the labour union 10 years ago. Unions help members to enjoy benefits of employment such as fair treatment, better pay, working conditions and fair compesation.
But instead, he has suffered more like other workers who are not unionists. He says, the union leaders who would have helped to fight the exploitation of members, instead ‘connive’ with the employers to make their life harder while at work.
Mr Oketch says their plan to withdraw from the union, which even deducts three per cent of their monthly salary to facilitate its activities, have also been frustrated by both the employer and union leaders.
“We are between a rock and a hard place and our leaders are simply there to collect wealth yet ordinary workers are suffering,” he says. “I even find no justification of deducting three per cent from my meagre monthly salary to facilitate a union, which does not help me,” he adds.
All the unionised workers on sugar and tea plantations scribe to National Union of Plantation and Agricultural Workers of Uganda (NUPAW). But Mr Bruno Pajobo, the NUPAWU secretary general, says some union members speak ‘ill’ of their leaders because they were defeated in elections.
Mr Oketch’s case is one among the many victims as thousands of workers are silently being oppressed at work places but fail to speak out because of fear of losing their jobs.
Corruption cases
Despite their failure to safeguard the rights of workers, union leaders are said to be corrupt, a vice which has affected the organisation’s operations which handles an estimated 300,000 civil servants and 11million private sector employees.
Consequently, this has led to splinter groups that are defeating the desired teamwork spirit.
The Central Organisation of Free Trade Unions (Coftu) broke off from National Organisation of Trade Unions (NOTU) in the run up to the 2006 elections, following elections in NOTU in which workers Member of Parliament, Dr Sam Lyomoku and Mr Christopher Kahirita emerged losers.
But Dr Lyomoki , who is also Coftu general secretary says despite having internal bickering, the current labour movement leadership has tried to deem its image locally and internationally .
“As brothers of the same family, such misunderstands are inevitable but we believe in solidarity and it is through this that we have managed to achieve something,” he says.
He cites the enactment of the National Employment Policy, securing workers’ representation on the National Social Security Fund board, and improving awareness about workers’ rights as some of the achievements registered.
“I do not really think that there is any employer today who doesn’t know that mistreating workers is bad. We have done our part and what is lacking is taking action,” he says.
Read More52 years later: Is colonial education system relevant?
As Uganda celebrates 52 years of independence, unemployment and lack of skills are some of the major challenges hindering national development. This is attributed to the Uganda education system, which is more of theory than practical.
Experts say the current education system produces more of job seekers than creators.
According to Mr Fagil Monday, an educationist, the current education system focuses more on academics leading to the production of job seekers rather than job creators.
He says educational programmes such as mental work and vocational education were neglected and this is attributed to the public’s negative perception towards vocational institutions and courses and lack of proper sensitisation about the importance of such studies.
“There are few programmes aimed at promoting vocational education. Because of this, many students go to school targeting university education and white-collar jobs which are not available,” Mr Mandy says.
Mr Mandy , however, recommends the efforts being undertaken by the government in promoting the teaching of skill based programmes through the Skilling Uganda project but says a lot of sensitisation has to be made if the programme is to achieve its main objective of producing job creators.
“We need to appreciate the steps being taken to improve the study of vocational courses. The compulsory sciences being taught at O-Level, Information and Communications Technology courses and Sub math are all aimed at promoting vocational courses in the education system,” he adds.
Transforming education
The minister of Education and Sports, Jessica Alupo, says NRM government has transformed the education sector right from pre-primary to higher education. She says the Education Review Commission (EPRC) was set up in July 1987 to appraise the education system and recommend measures and strategies for improving the system. The commission was to focus on improving the system in order to progressively embrace modern curriculum and educational trends and development.
“It was also to equip students with productive and modern marketable skills, produce socially responsible citizens, review and reformulate the general objectives of the school as a whole as well as at each level among others,” she says.
Following the recommendations of EPRC, government through the Government White Paper of 1992, put in a set of recommendations for implementation. It was considered necessary to introduce and implement major reforms in education in line with the Education White Paper.
“Such reforms were in the areas of policy and legal framework as well as other measures to increase access, improve quality and enhance equity at all levels of the education system,” Ms Alupo says. The government also introduced Universal Primary Education in 1997 to reduce illiteracy levels in the country.
The number of teachers has also increased from 64,779 in 1986 to181, 346 and the number of primary schools grew from7, 351 to 22, 000 by 2012.With the introduction of hardship allowances to primary school teachers in hard to reach areas the quality of education has improved.
The government has also rehabilitated war affected schools in the northern region under the peace, recovery and development programme.
Read MoreTerrorist attacks: Police devise new strategies
After the twin bombing at Kyadondo Rugby Club and Ethiopian Village Restaurant on July11, 2010 that left 78 people dead and scores injured, police chiefs convened in Entebbe to analyse the attack on the Ugandan football enthusiasts who were watching the World Cup final.
After threatening to deal with the officers mercilessly if another attack occurred, the Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, who chaired the meeting, tasked each officer to give him their plan of securing the country.
“I am telling you that if terrorists attack Kampala again please don’t call me to tell me what has happened just remove your uniform and desert because if I get you it will be problems,” he told officers. Despite his warning, Mr Kayihura knew that his men needed capacity to measure up to the terror threats.
Change of lifestyle
The State response to counter terror attacks has impacted policing and the lifestyle of Ugandans. Barely can one enter any building without being checked. Police officers are more vigilant and seen carrying machine guns in many public places.
In 2010, the Directorate of Counter Terrorism (CT) was barely two years and had only 600 officers. A few of them had undergone specialised training in countering terror threats.
Mr David Wasswa, the head of CT technical services, said at the time they had only two departments; technical services and tactical response and neutralisation.
“If you were to measure then, they weren’t matching with the threats at hand,” Mr Wasswa said. CT was providing a supportive role to other security agencies. Gathering of intelligence, analysing it and enforcement were done by other security agencies such as Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Directorate and Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence.
“This was a big challenge. It created a lot of loopholes,” he said. To fill the gap, Mr John Ndungutse, was appointed deputy director of CT to establish an intelligence unit, which had to gather intelligence, specifically on terrorists, analyse it, verify and order for action.
With Mr Ndungutse in the CT, funds started flowing in though the amount is often kept secret for security reasons. More equipment including bomb disposal robots were bought. The US, UK, India, Israel and Turkey lent a hand in capacity building.
The US also provided direct support to the directorate through specialised training.
Mr John Ndungutse, Mr Herman Owomugisha and a several other officers were taken to the Federal Bureau of Investigations Academy in the US for training. In turn, the police created more departments under CT that would cover both the economic interests of the country and those of their donors.
Tourism industry at stake
Tourism industry being one of the big contributors to the national economy, any threats to its stability would cause an economic downward spiral. Uganda earned more than Shs2 trillion from tourism annually.
But it is a known fact that when Western countries issue an advisory about an imminent terror alert, their citizens listen. Kenya’s coastal areas are a no-go zone for western tourists.
Alerts
Diplomatic missions in Uganda started issuing similar advisory and Uganda police quickly established the Tourism Police Unit to protect the industry.
Another unit VIPPU that protects foreign missions and very important persons was put under CT so was Aviation Police.
In just four years, the number of CT officers swell from 600 officers to 4,000.
“Because terrorism is so dynamic, you need frequent training in new tactics. We had to establish a school specifically to train our officers at Olilim in Katakwi District,” Mr Wasswa said.
The Counter-Terrorism directorate even bought robots to help them remove or trace bombs in buildings. Given the fact the suspected attackers were from Somalia and would organise from Kenya, Uganda Police Force sent its officers in both countries to gather intelligence.
“We were able to prevent an attack when we were celebrating 50 years of independence in 2012. When terrorists organised in Kenya, we gave intelligence to our counterparts in Nairobi and the suspects were arrested with explosives,” he said.
Organising events
Few months after the attacks, police issued new regulations for those who wished to organise events anywhere in the country. Mr Edward Ssendikadiwa of West Records, a promotion company, said since the July 11 terror attacks, the cost of organising events has shot up.
“You have to write to the Inspector General of Police, then the Commander Kampala Metropolitan Police. In case the event is going to be held in Kampala, regional and division police commanders must be notified. You also have to get officers to man security. The event organiser has to get sniffer dogs and metallic detectors from Counter Terrorism Directorate. All this requires money,” Mr Ssendikadiwa explained.
Previously, an event organiser would only contact the division police commanders about the event. Some event organisers spend as much as Shs80m on security alone. Many event organisers get their funds from beverage companies that hope to sell their products at the function. In the business sense, the longer the events, the more of their products are consumed.
Events in open areas aren’t allowed to go beyond 1a.m. and revellers are expected to vacate the area. Event organisers would allow revellers to be entertained up to dusk to enable them go back home without being attacked.
Mr Ssendikadiwa said the security measures that followed the July 11 changed everything.
“Revellers must leave the event at 1a.m. which put them at the risk of being attacked by criminals along the way,” he said.
Even display of fireworks was banned except on national days. Government opposition too took a swipe after the attacks. Suspicion of terror attacks became reason to deny them from assembling.
Since the terror attacks, no one has ever been the same. Let it be those supposed to ensure that terrorists never succeed and those they protect from successes of terrorists.
Read MoreMore effort needed to promote human rights
The human rights cause in Uganda has taken both upward and downward trends. The upward trend is owed to the fact that Uganda has made tremendous progress in human rights structural development.
The government was been lauded the enactment of the 1995 Constitution, whose provisions lay a good platform for the protection and promoting of human rights. There has also been commendation to the government for establishing the Uganda Human Rights Commission, the Inspector General of Government, and structures that provide a good platform for upholding human rights in the country.
According to Mr. Muhammed Ndifuna, the chief executive officer of Human Rights Network Uganda, the passing of laws, for example, the Access to Information Act, is also worth noting because it has enabled the public to access information.
“The establishment of the human rights department in the police is also astride the human rights cause in the country has registered,” he adds. The establishment of organs and laws in support of human rights has helped to establish a normative framework that enables people to promote, protect and defend human rights.
Challenges
Mr. Ndifuna, however, says the human rights cause has a long way to go because the various structures and agencies established by the government to protect, promote and defend human rights have come under denigration.
“Many of them are undercut, not well facilitated, or are interfered with. There have also been several incidences of dishonoring some articles of the constitution,” he says.
He says some progressive laws have been systematically violated, taking the country back to where it came from in terms of the human rights violation. Human rights can only be protected in a situation where the rule of law is manifested; one of the cardinal principles is the separation of power.
Mr. Ndifuna says sometimes there is the intrusion of the executive in the judiciary and legislature undermining the protection of human rights. Although human rights defenders have faced many challenges including harassment, some achievements have been registered.
According to Mr. Ndifuna, human rights defenders have managed to monitor and document human rights violations and abuse in the country.
Mr Ndifuna says human rights defenders are also supporting the state to measure up to its obligation under international treaties. Civil society organizations work with government agencies and ministries to ensure that Uganda meets the requirements of the international human rights treaties.
Role of Parliament
The Parliament of Uganda has been instrumental in promoting human rights. Ms Monicah Amoding, the Female Youth representative, says Parliament managed to establish the human rights committee that was not existing. She says the human rights committee of Parliament has worked closely with other stakeholders to monitor policies, bills and laws concerning human rights.
Workers yet to benefit from unions
Mr Paul Oketch, 45, a worker at one of the sugar manufacturing factories, joined the labour union 10 years ago. Unions help members to enjoy benefits of employment such as fair treatment, better pay, working conditions and fair compensation.
But instead, he has suffered more like other workers who are not unionists. He says, the union leaders who would have helped to fight the exploitation of members, instead ‘connive’ with the employers to make their life harder while at work.
Mr Oketch says their plan to withdraw from the union, which even deducts three per cent of their monthly salary to facilitate its activities, have also been frustrated by both the employer and union leaders.
“We are between a rock and a hard place and our leaders are simply there to collect wealth yet ordinary workers are suffering,” he says. “I even find no justification of deducting three per cent from my meagre monthly salary to facilitate a union, which does not help me,” he adds.
All the unionised workers on sugar and tea plantations scribe to National Union of Plantation and Agricultural Workers of Uganda (NUPAW). But Mr Bruno Pajobo, the NUPAWU secretary general, says some union members speak ‘ill’ of their leaders because they were defeated in elections.
Mr Oketch’s case is one among the many victims as thousands of workers are silently being oppressed at work places but fail to speak out because of fear of losing their jobs.
Corruption cases
Despite their failure to safeguard the rights of workers, union leaders are said to be corrupt, a vice which has affected the organisation’s operations which handles an estimated 300,000 civil servants and 11million private sector employees.
Consequently, this has led to splinter groups that are defeating the desired teamwork spirit.
The Central Organisation of Free Trade Unions (Coftu) broke off from National Organisation of Trade Unions (NOTU) in the run up to the 2006 elections, following elections in NOTU in which workers Member of Parliament, Dr Sam Lyomoku and Mr Christopher Kahirita emerged losers.
But Dr Lyomoki , who is also Coftu general secretary says despite having internal bickering, the current labour movement leadership has tried to deem its image locally and internationally .
“As brothers of the same family, such misunderstands are inevitable but we believe in solidarity and it is through this that we have managed to achieve something,” he says.
He cites the enactment of the National Employment Policy, securing workers’ representation on the National Social Security Fund board, and improving awareness about workers’ rights as some of the achievements registered.
“I do not really think that there is any employer today who doesn’t know that mistreating workers is bad. We have done our part and what is lacking is taking action,” he says.
Read MoreExperts call for competitiveness
As workers commemorate World Labour Day, the competence and productivity of people employed in the various sectors remain a growing concern in Uganda. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the Ugandan labourforce is estimated at 9.8m people, of who 53 per cent are females.
It also indicates that about 75 per cent of the labourforce is below 40 years and yet 30 per cent of the total labourforce is illiterate. An estimated 77 per cent workers have education below secondary school level.
This means that the majority of the individuals who enter the labour market do not have required skills leave alone being aware of the labour laws. Mr Bernard Mujuni, a legal specialist, calls for robust labour administration and competitiveness involving strengthening administrative systems, and personnel to promote labour standards. He says this will promote increased productivity.
Mr Mujuuni says labour productivity and competitiveness should match the infrastructural development. “There should be a deliberate effort to skill and re-orient the critical human resource necessary for delivering the desired industrial growth,” he says.
Skilling Uganda
As a way of enhancing the competiveness and productivity of the labourforce, the government has come up with a new 10-year programme dubbed “Skilling Uganda”. To Ms Jesca Alupo, the Education and Sports minister under whose docket the programme falls, the initiative should be supported by all Ugandans as learners will be trained in competencies and competiveness as opposed to theory. In addition to students, she says the initiative also targets people who are already working and in self-employment.
Apprenticeship
Dr Gideon Badagawa, the executive director of Private Sector Foundation-Uganda, says the private sector is working out modalities together with institutions of higher learning to provide industrial training and apprenticeship opportunities.
“To that effect, we have presented a proposal to the government to incentivise the companies and organisations that take on students for industrial training and apprenticeship with tax exemptions,” says Dr Badagawa.
He stresses that the overall objective of this all-round training programme is to give confidence to the employers that the kind of people they are going to employ will not jeopardise their operations.
“Some companies are skeptical about employing young and inexperienced people because they think they will burn down their factories due to poor handling of machines. So, we want to expose these young people to the real practical world,” he says.
In the region, studies show that Kenya’s labourforce is the most skilled and competent, a reason why Kenyan nationals are aggressively taking on jobs that should be done by Ugandans mainly in the areas of tourism and hospitality, IT, manufacturing, among others.
What the government says
Mr Mwesigwa Rukutana says the government is doing everything in its mandate to enhance the competence of the labourforce through collaborative efforts with other government departments and stakeholders.
“Of course this is the major outcry everywhere, with employers and regional markets saying our people do not have employable skills let alone the right work ethics and attitude,” he says.
Read MoreYouth unemployment rate continues to soar
For Mr Lubowa Musoke, a metal workshop entrepreneur in Rubaga, Kampala, attaining vocational skills is but not good enough, especially to the young people who do not have capital to start their own enterprises.
He thus advises the government to increase its funding to vocational income generating projects if the problem of unemployment is to be reduced. “Since there are fewer government jobs, it is important that people seek self-employment but this is hindered by lack of start-up capital,” he says.
According to Mr Musoke, the government should ensure that the young entrepreneurs are availed with capital in form of soft loans or better yet, exempt small scale industries from paying tax.
Projects such as carpentry, and metal welding can be rewarding to an extent that a person may not even think of looking for formal employment.
“For example, I started my business four years ago with only Shs7m but it has grown to over Shs30 million and I am able to pay fees for my children and take care of my family,” Mr Musoke says.
Response
The government has initiated several youth focused projects to promote entrepreneurship skills. For example, under the youth capital venture fund, Shs25 billion was provided in the financial year (2012/13) as start-up capital for the youth and medium enterprises.
In 2010, the government launched the non-formal training programme under the Ministry of Education and Sports, which saw a significant number of Ugandans acquiring non-formal skills which they can utilise to increase production.
New programme
In 2012, the government launched a new education programme named, “Skilling Uganda” meant to introduce short courses for school leavers at primary seven, senior four and six, school dropouts and graduates.
It is aimed at giving learners an opportunity to go through a parallel education programme to that of formal education.
Read MoreFAO roots for commercial fish farming
interview. The fishing industry remains one of the key contributors of foreign exchange in Uganda. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Country Representative, Alhaji M. Jallow, spoke to Daily Monitor’s Brian Ssenoga about FAO’s new interventions in the fisheries sector.
Give an overview of the Food and Agriculture Organization support to the fishing industry in Uganda?
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency for agricultural issues and food security, including fisheries. In Uganda, the major source of fish is Lake Victoria and so the fisheries sector in the country is important. FAO jointly works with the government of Uganda in conserving fish stocks in the water resources.
The government set up the beach management units to regulate the fishing industry. However, the units have not been as successful as we envisaged in managing the resources and sharing the lake with other regional countries made the protection of resources more difficult. With time, we realized a shortfall in fish stocks, especially in Lake Victoria. Fishermen who caught 200kgs per day are now getting 20kg or less.
What we are addressing currently with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries is the aspect of fish farming (aquaculture) to complement catches from the different lakes in the country. We are involving the youth and fish farmers through a $500,000 (more than Shs1.3b) FAO funded project. It is not a lot of money, but we plan to use it effectively.
We recently evaluated the hatchery and pond construction challenges in the country. Fish feed availability is currently being assessed for improvement, especially at the farm level. In order to complement the aquaculture project, the Ministry of Finance has endorsed a $1 million (more than Shs2.6 billion) FAO funded project for the facilitation of youth employment through fish farming.
What is your assessment of the opportunities available in the fishing industry?
As I mentioned earlier, commercial fish farming will be viable in Uganda if we consider the abundant water availability and topography of potential fish farming areas. This will be necessary for the construction of ponds that can hold water and support proper growth of the fish for commercial purposes. Uganda produces up to 15,000 tonnes of fish from aquaculture, including production from small-scale fish farmers, emerging commercial fish farmers and stocked community water reservoirs, and lakes and rivers. There are an estimated 20,000 ponds throughout the country with an average surface area of 500 square metres per pond. With improved market prices for fish, government intervention to increase production and stagnant supply from capture fisheries, aquaculture has begun to attract entrepreneurial farmers seeking to exploit the business opportunity provided by the prevailing high demand for farmed fish.
This expansion in aquaculture has also resulted in the transformation of 20-30 per cent of the smallholder subsistence ponds into profitable small-scale production units through developments in management and production scale. However, fish farming as a business must be done from a professional point of view. There are some fish farmers, but most of them are doing it more for subsistence. Farmed fish has a huge market here and outside the country. Ugandans consume fish in large quantities but production has always been limited.
In terms of large scale investment for export, compared to the neigbouring countries, Uganda is strategically positioned and blessed with all the resources to support the fish industry. There is a huge market for Uganda’s fish and fish products in those countries. Fish exports generate substantial revenue averaging nearly $124 million in the last five years, representing 7-15 per cent of all agricultural exports. What is now lacking is money and commitment to heavily invest in the industry, including in fish farming. The fish value chain must be promoted with deliberate intentions to create jobs and industrialize the sector to effectively contribute to the development of the country.
What do you think are Uganda’s chances of having fish as a major source of nutrition and income?
Many people tend to look at food security as only the availability of food in the house, but, technically, food security involves food for consumption and at the same time to generate income to buy other things to fulfil human needs. It is known that fish is not only nutritious but has medicinal components as well. Yes, the lake volumes are dwindling but the fish farming option is here and we are ready to support it as a source of food and income. We are planning to get involved and work with fishing communities on protecting the resources in the lake and sustaining the livelihhoods of fisher folk in the country.
The World Food Day is in October, what is the theme for this year and how is it linked to fisheries?
Now that the World Food Day is near (October 16), we want Ugandans to know that this year’s theme is; “Family Farming: feeding the world and caring for the earth.” The UN General Assembly has declared 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming and this is to reposition family farming at the centre of agriculture and general policies in the national agenda to promote a shift towards a more equal and balanced development.
This is to raise the profile of family farming and smallholder farmers.
In Uganda, for example, there are 3.9 million agricultural households and these significantly contribute to food availability and eradicating hunger, promoting food security, nutrition, environmental protection and natural resources management. We can widen that to include the fish farmers and the fisherfolk in the fishing communities.
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