Labour agencies optimistic about Uganda - Gulf pacts
Left to right: Uganda’s ambassador to the Gulf, Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu, Gender minister Janat Mukwaya and Qatar’s Labour minister Eisa Saad Alijafali Al-Naimi during the signing of the labour agreement in Doha, Qatar last year. Photo by Stephen Otage
Kampala- The Uganda Association of External Recruitment Agencies has welcomed the bilateral labour agreements that countries in the Middle East are signing with Uganda to export labour there.
In an interview yesterday in Kampala, Ms Lillian Mugerwa, the vice chairperson and legal secretary of the association, said Ugandans can now work in those countries in a regulated and coordinated manner as opposed to going to the United Kingdom, US, and other European countries where there are no bilateral arrangements with Uganda and workers are subjected to ill forms of treatment.
Opportunity
“This is a great opportunity. It means more Ugandans can now travel to the Middle East and get employed. Processing their travel documents will be cheaper and they will be operating in a regulated environment,” she said.
Last week the government of the State of Qatar announced a 40,000 job-slot offer to Ugandans beginning 2017 as the country makes preparations to host the 2022 World Cup.
Trending destination
According Ms Mugerwa, Qatar with a population of about 2.4 million citizens, is currently the global labour market destination because of the world cup preparations.
Qatar is the third country in the region to sign bilateral labour agreements with Uganda after Saudi Arabia in 2015 and Jordan three weeks ago. All the agreements were brokered by Uganda’s embassy in Saudi Arabia.
According to Mr Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu, Uganda’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, the agreements will pave way for Qatar trade and investment inflows to Uganda, in line with the pledge made by the Amir of Qatar to him during the ceremony of presentation of his credentials in 2014.
In January this year, government banned the exportation of maids to Saudi Arabia after reports that many Ugandans were being subjected to inhuman treatment.
Resumption of business
Asked how they are going to resume sending workers to Qatar, Ms Mugerwa said they will sit with the Ministry of Gender and draft guidelines to follow.
According to Mr Ssemuddu, the job offers in Qatar are not restricted to domestic work but also professional careers because of the high demand for skilled and semi-skilled labour.
Earlier experiences
The challenges. There have been reports that Ugandan domestic workers have in the past been subjected to inhumane treatment by their employers in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. As such, the association will sit with the Gender ministry to draft guidelines on labour export to the Gulf.
