Members of Parliament (MPs) are urging for the swift re-tabling of the Minimum Wage Bill, 2015, emphasizing the importance of establishing a comprehensive minimum wage determination mechanism across various sectors of the economy.

The call comes as legislators reflect on the initial passage of the bill by Parliament in February 2018. The Minimum Wage Bill, of 2015, aimed to create a framework for setting minimum wages tailored to different sectors. Among its provisions were the establishment of minimum wage boards under ministerial authority, mechanisms for determining sector-specific minimum wages, delineation of the boards’ responsibilities and powers, and procedures for the actual determination of minimum wages.

Moved by Workers MP Arinatwe Rwakajara, the bill was meant to address gaps in the current Minimum Wage Advisory Board Act by providing for employee-employer-led minimum wage determination, and sector-based minimum wage determination and application.

However, in a letter dated August 21, 2019, addressed to then speaker of parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, President Museveni rejected the entire bill and accordingly returned it. His decision not to assent to the bill followed advice from the then attorney general, William Byaruhanga.

Bugahya County MP Pius Wakabi said, “We need to bring up the issue of the minimum wage because you will find that most employees are being paid as little as Shs 100,000 a month. That is so little that somebody cannot even survive. That means that he earns less than a dollar per day.”

“We need the minimum wage for employees. The minimum somebody should earn is Shs 500,000. We have good laws, but the challenges are there. We pass laws, but they are not implemented,” he said.

Representing the state minister for Labour during the specialised training for the Parliamentary Forum on Labour, Decent Employment and Productivity in Entebbe, Sarah Opendi, said the country still grapples with the challenge of exploitation of workers in the country, especially in the private sector.

“There were efforts to have the minimum wage dealt with, but these efforts have not yielded any fruit. I hope that very soon we shall have this bill presented, of course as a private member’s bill so that we can deal with the issue of the minimum wage to do away with the exploitation of Ugandans.”

She noted that with a minimum wage, it will then be possible to order mandatory savings for every working Ugandan. During the same meeting, the legislators also decried a lack of supervision and the continued deployment of Ugandans in factories and other workplaces without safety gear.

Opendi claimed that authorities only carry out inspections in workplaces when there is a strike or a terrible accident where an employee has been injured.

Berivan Erbil Pamuk, a decent work and social protection expert at Enabel Belgian Development Agency, said decent work protection is aimed at preventing and protecting people against vulnerability, social exclusion, and poverty throughout their lifecycle.

“Social protection includes non-contributory schemes, contributory schemes and labour market policies from the state because it can influence labour market integration for job seekers,” she said.

Story Credit: GEOFREY SERUGO Via the Observer