KAMPALA: Workers urged on their rights

By Anita Imalingat.

Opposition party Forum for Democratic Change has called upon workers in the country to demand for better wages.

This comes ahead of the May 1 International Labour Day celebrations. Addressing journalists yesterday, Mr Francis Mwijukye, a member of the FDC national publicity commission, said workers should use this day to demand for better wages.

”The government always says there is no money to pay doctors, teachers and policemen, but we recently saw the President giving out money in sacks. Workers should ask the President where this money came from and also use this year’s Labour Day celebrations as platform to demand for better wages,” Mr Mwijukye said. He said moving with money in sacks is a clear indication that the government has the money to pay the workers but did not seem be a priority at the moment.

On the issue of minimum wage, Mr Mwijukye asked the government address the issue which is affecting many citizens. “Workers in Uganda are being exploited by their employers who tend to give them peanuts, and yet they over work them. We have no minimum wage and employers take advantage of that,” he said.

Source: Daily Monitor (30/04/2013): http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Workers-urged-on-their-rights/-/688334/1762168/-/un49xt/-/index.html