I have read some arguments in the media blaming foreign investors for poor conditions of workers, specifically low salaries. I disagree. It is not foreign investors who exploit workers most. It is, in fact, Ugandans who are the most exploitative. The government pays civil servants erratically, and there are no reliable salary scales. Some people are paid obscene salaries while others are paid peanuts for similar kinds of work.
Employees in the private sector in enterprises owned by Ugandans are at the mercy of the employers. Some often go months without pay, and if they complain, they are summarily dismissed. The domestic workers virtually earn nothing. The Ministry of Labour is supposed to formulate laws that protect workers.
There has to be an independent salary commission that looks at all public sector activities and comes up with a minimum wage for public sector workers, as well as salary scales for all public sector workers, including for politicians. The pay in the private sector should be per hour so that employers can pay for the hours they can afford. It is all about fairness
Geoffrey Buga
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