Minister vows to crackdown on employers who mistreat workers

The State Minister for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations, Ms Esther Davinia Anyakun, has vowed to take on employers who mistreat their staff at workplaces.

Ms Anyakun who officiated the swearing in ceremony of the new governing council of Human Resource Managers Association of Uganda (HRMAU) in Kampala on Friday, said she would not care about the powerfulness and influence of the employers when an employee is treated in an unfair manner.

“Employers must respect people they are working with at workplaces….I will come for those who mistreat them,” she said,

The Nakapiripiriti Woman MP who was recently moved from the Relief and Disaster Preparedness docket to the Labour ministry, said women are always the main victims of mistreatment and harassment at workplaces.

“You find someone is fired mysteriously maybe because a girl refused the guy, this is being faced more by girls at workplaces,” she said.

The president of the HRMAU governing council, Mr Ronald Kibuuka Bbosa, said that the enactment of the Human resource Profession Management Bill which was first tabled as a Private members Bill in 2023 would solve most of these issues.

“We want to ensure that the welfare of employees and their plight is uplifted as we pursue national development because we are responsible for different people’s decisions they make at the workplace to guide them in delivering effectively,” he said.

“We want to ensure that we reduce on the over 1500 case backlogs in labour courts which majorities are due to HR practitioners,” he added.

The Workers representative in Parliament, Ms Margret Namubiru Rwabushaija, said that the Bill which is expected to be presented to the House this year, will help in regulating the profession.

The new governing board has several members who include; the HRMAU vice president, Ms Esther Regina Nampijja who is also the head of Human Resource at CARE Uganda, and Ms Leticia Iguma the body’s secretary general.

Others are; Moses Waswa, Joyce Nakalema, Emmanuel Otim, Andrew S Kawesa, Daniel K Tugume, Joseph Rwabutomize, Innocent Dawa, and Angel Ayebazibwe.