Chairman Labour Party (PHOTO/Courtesy).
KAMPALA – The failure of workers to come together to have political bargain within unions is what has resulted into the president cautioning the workers’ members of parliament from enacting a law which would have seen workers access 20% of their savings before the mandatory age of 55.
The president daring to reverse the wishes of the very contributors to the fund and in the deep of the COVID -19 crisis, altogether stopping the members of parliament from continuing this debate is very unfortunate for our country and for workers.
It is a reflection of workers’ lack of cohesion and common stand on what are their benefits. In the kind of situation where many countries are giving their workers stimulus packages – albeit some begrungingly – Uganda has yet to provide any but has also denied workers access to the little resources of their own contribution. It’s so unfortunate that by the time this money is accessed – if it ever is, there will nolonger be need of it. Afterall, savings are made for crisis just as much as they are for a comfortable future.
So, I call upon fellow workers, many of us have gone without salary for many years but this is a time to watch which type of leaders we rally behind. The politicians are campaigning and it is upon us to gauge which type of leaders are for us and are willing to face and fight for the pains of workers.
The writer, Rogers Birungi Barigayomwe PhD is the Chairman Labour Party
