4,500 cases of work abuse: how many go unreported?
An employer shows a worker marching orders. Many employees suffer silently at their places of work. Photo by Joseph Kiggundu
What you need to know:
Solution. Employees are advised to know their rights in a work environment and conduct themselves professionally to avoid mistreatment and dismissal.
For the last two years, Mr Elias Makumbi has been taking care of his boss’ laundry, washing his cars and doing his errands-as and when the boss demands.
Mr Makumbi did not have a contract with his boss. All he remembers is that sometime last year, he entered into a verbal agreement with his boss to first take his three children to school before the deal changed to other roles without him being consulted. Makumbi is a typical domestic worker.
After serving his master faithfully for two years, he felt it was time to have his salary reviewed.
But before doing that, in the last three months, he made sure he worked like a horse—tirelessly.
By the time he approached his boss, he expected his track record—if not for the entire two years, at least for the recent months to justify his call for “salary” increase.
Unexpectedly, his reward was a sack. Worse still, he had not been paid for the past two months.
His attempt to withdraw his appeal fell on deaf ears. He even volunteered to do a month without pay, but his boss would take none of that.
In another case, Ms Diana Ayebazibwe, working with a top international bank in Kampala, was fired for work absenteeism.
No explanation
Although she says she was unwell and desperately made attempts to reach her supervisors in vain, her boss insisted that she should have filed a written communication even before she went to hospital notifying her bosses that she would not be showing up the following day.
Her pictures are now all over local dailies warning that whoever transacts business with her on behalf of the bank does so at their own risk. The adverts say she was relieved of her duties due to indiscipline.
The predicaments the duo have experienced are among the tales that many suffer silently on daily basis being highlighted by a local Non-Governmental Organisation.
Platform for Labour Action says it has handled nearly 4,500 complaints by workers ill-treated by their employers both in the formal and informal sector.
“We have helped more than 4,000 workers to either get their jobs back or get paid fully and in some areas compensated where necessary,” Ms Lilian Keene Mugerwa, of Platform for Labour Action, said in an interview on Tuesday.
Despite rendering her service to under privileged workers, she reckons that not all those who claim to have been mistreated at work places tell the truth.
“Some employees leave work without notice and they will never tell you that, yet it is wrong.”
Workers’ role
Although, Makumbi and Ayebazibwe’s cases are the type that Ms Mugerwa could consider taking up, it is important that employees avoid situations that compromise their cases such as dishonesty and lack of professionalism.
However, with more education centering around workers rights and employers obligations, Ms Keene is optimistic all will be well. She adds that this is a fight that should begin now.
