15 new faces battle old guards for workers seats

BY FRANKLIN DRAKU

The battle for Workers’ representatives in Parliament is expected to go to the wire with many new faces challenging the old guards.

Workers representatives form part of the Special Interest Groups that were introduced in Parliament in 1996 and since then, members such as Dr Sam Lyomoki and Mr Charles Bakkabulindi, have represented workers.

Nominations for workers representatives and other Special Interest Groups will be held from October 12 to October 13. So far, more than 15 candidates have expressed interest to battle for five slots for Workers’ representation in Parliament.

Those in the race include National Organisation of Trade Unions (Notu) chairman general, Mr Usher Wilson Owere, Uganda Public Employees Union (UPEU) chairperson and National Council of Sports (NCS) board member Agatha Namirembe, Uganda Infrastructure Union general secretary, Robert Wanzusi Matukhu, and Artisans Union general secretary, Counsel Anthony Wanyama.

Others are, Uganda Scientists and Researchers Union Trustee, Abdul Byakatonda and Notu Secretary for Women Committee, who is also the National Treasurer Nurses Union, Ms Annet Birungi. She is contesting as Female Workers Member of Parliament.
The above join the five incumbents, Charles Bakkabulindi, Arinaitwe Rwakajara, Margaret Rwabushaija Namubiru, Dr Sam Lyomoki, and Female Workers Member of Parliament, Agnes Kunihira.
The list could be longer if others declare their interest to contest for the same seats.

The issues
While the old guard want the status quo maintained, the new entrants are pursuing to replace down.
Ms Birungi is challenging Ms Kunihira. Ms Birungi said she has been fighting for the rights of health workers and that elevating her to Parliament will give her a better platform to raise her issues to the authorities. She said her duty is to unite all the workers across the country and ensure they speak with one voice on issues affecting them.

“I am focused on what we should do as workers. Most of the time we speak with divided voices and time has come for us to unite and speak as one body, whether you are in COFTU, Notu or any other union, we need to act as a team,” she said.
Ms Birungi said workers bear the brunt of taxes in the country and deserve better. “We have been crying on the issue of minimum wages. I am an NRM member, but my party will not force me to abandon the workers. Whether in NRM or Parliament, I will raise the issues of workers so that they are well paid and facilitated,” she said.

Ms Namirembe has her focus on raising the voice of workers. She said Uganda has a number of labour friendly laws but implementation is poor. Ms Namirembe said the issue of minimum wage needs to be tackled because workers are being over burdened by taxes and yet they earn peanuts.

“We all know that up to now, work places are not safe, employees get accidents and diseases from their places of work. This must be addressed. We also want the issue of minimum wages to be addressed properly so that our workers are paid for their efforts,” she said.

“We workers are also missing out on the national cake because all the programmes that come are either targeting the youth, the women and the elderly yet we are the backbone of the economy. I am a new entrant, but not new in management, so my experience will count in ensuring workers are well represented,” Ms Namirembe added.

Incumbents in the race
The incumbent Workers’ representatives are not about to give way to the new entrants who want to wrestle power from them. Many say they still have unfinished businesses.

Ms Margaret Rwabushaija Namubiru who is battling for her second term said she had already started the process of reviewing some of the outdated labour laws.

“A number of labour laws need review, some we started and some we hope to continue with in the next Parliament. So for me, it is a continuation which I hope we shall accomplish in Parliament. I have been the voice of the workers since I joined and I will not stop. I came from the teachers union where we have fought for the rights of teachers. I will strengthen existing programmes on capacity building of Labour unions,” she said.

For Mr Rwakajara, it is work in progress. He was the brain behind the Private Members’ Bill on the Minimum Wage, which Parliament passed, but President Museveni declined to sign it into law.

Mr Rwakajara said if elected, his focus will be to ensure the Minimum Wage Act is signed so that workers are better remunerated.

Report on Workers MPs
A performance review report on Workers and Youth MPs in Uganda (1995 to 2015) done by Kituo Cha Katiba and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in 2016, indicated that the representatives of both groups are not necessary as they have not effectively championed workers or youth interests.

The report recommended that Article 78 (2)87 of the Constitution should be invoked to abolish representation of Workers and Youth in Parliament.

The article states that every five years, Parliament shall review the Special Interest Group representation “for purposes of retaining, increasing or abolishing any such representation and any other matter incidental to it.”

Prof John Jean Barya, the lead researcher in the report, said instead of having Youth and Workers’ MPs, efforts should be made to strengthen the trade union movement and youth organisations. This, he said, is best on a finding that whatever minimum achievements have been made for workers has been a result of the work and solidarity of the trade union movement, rather than Workers’ MPs. The said Workers’ representation in Parliament has instead divided, confused and weakened the trade union movement.

According to the report, there was some limited form of performance at the parliamentary level as far as Workers’ MPs are concerned. Their performance was deemed to be better, surprisingly, in relative terms under the no-party Movement System (1993 – 2006) because they did not have to conform to the dictates of government.
The report, however, note that under the multi-party system (2006 to 2015), they (MPs) have all come under the patronage system of the NRM regime with, therefore, little or no independence from government and fearing to push for the rights and interests of their constituencies.
“It is, therefore, clear that a better organised and strong labour movement is more important to identifying and advancing the causes, rights and interests of workers than a mere presence of Workers’ MPs in Parliament, especially when the Workers’ MPs are not autonomous from the ruling NRM party...,” the report stated.

Profiles New entrants

1. Ms Annet Birungi is Notu secretary for Women Committee and the National Treasurer for the Nurses Union. She says the welfare of nurses and midwifes is core to her and she will fight to ensure women are included in all decision making processes.
2. Dr Obuku Ekwaro. He is former chairperson of Uganda Medical Association. He is running as an independent candidate and has had run-ins with government during the industrial actions by doctors and other medical workers.
3. Usher Wilson Owere. He is Notu chairperson general. He has been at every industrial action from teachers to medical workers and other trade unions. He promises to add weight to the fight for workers’ rights.
4. Ms Agatha Namirembe. She is chairperson of Uganda Public Employees Union and a board member of the National Council of Sports. She says she has proven record and awealth of experience.

OTHER CONTESTANTS
Francis Okello
Alex Binego Kwatampora
Grace Okiror Malinga
Ivan Kizito
Robert Wanzusi Matukhu
Anthony Wanyama