Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Uganda Monitor
Published on 2024-02-29 15:59:57
Ministers, legislators, and other officials faced a challenge on Thursday as they attempted to access the Parliament building. A group of casual workers from Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) blocked the entrance in protest over unpaid salaries and wages for five months. The protestors, mainly elderly women with a few men carrying placards, had walked from City Hall in Kampala to demand their overdue payments, as well as address concerns about unpaid NSSF contributions and threats to terminate their contracts.
The scuffle between the casual workers and Parliamentary police at 2 pm that Thursday forced Speaker Anita Among to address the angry workers who had blocked Parliamentary Avenue for two hours. Flanked by Kampala Central MP Mohammed Nsereko and Kampala’s woman MP Shamim Malende, Among assured the protestors that their salary arrears would be paid and their contracts renewed. She also promised a meeting involving the leadership of KCCA, the Ministry of Finance, and all Kampala MPs to resolve the issue.
The casual workers voiced their grievances about unpaid salaries, non-remittance of their NSSF contributions, poor working conditions, and threats of contract termination. Some workers mentioned receiving meager payments of between Shs160,000 and 180,000 per month, which they deemed inadequate given the high cost of living in Uganda.
Efforts to reach the KCCA executive director for comment were unsuccessful as her phone contacts were not reachable. Elected leaders, including MP Allan Ssewanyana, Mayor Erias Lukwago, and MP Shamim Malende, expressed solidarity with the casual workers. Ssewanyana criticized the lack of timely payment and inadequate salaries, while Lukwago announced the cancellation of the directive to terminate the workers’ contracts and planned meetings with Parliament. Malende emphasized the workers’ responsibilities as parents and called on the government to ensure timely payment for them to support their families.
The protest at City Hall earlier in the day ended prematurely as some councilors and workers stormed out in frustration. The casual workers recounted receiving letters terminating their contracts and allegations of pressure to join a different company owned by the Authority. They stressed the importance of being paid on time and fairly to meet their financial obligations and basic needs.
The situation highlighted the challenges faced by casual workers in Uganda and the importance of addressing issues such as timely payment, fair wages, and job security. The engagement between the workers, government officials, and parliamentarians underscored the need for collective efforts to ensure the rights and well-being of all workers in the country.
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