Casual laborers from the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) have again gathered outside Parliament to express their dissatisfaction with the leadership of KCCA for failing to pay their wages.
Several casual labourers including cleaners and support staff have for the second time in one week pitched camp at Parliament’s gate, amidst tight security, demanding that matters involving their pay are addressed. Holding placards, the women are accusing KCCA and other relevant government authorities of failing to address their matter.
The group is demanding payment of arrears for five months and remittance of their savings for the past two years to NSSF.
During Thursday’s Plenary session, the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, emphasized the urgency for the government to swiftly address the grievances of the casual laborers.
He highlighted the presence of a large number of people outside Parliament awaiting a response from the government, stressing that many families have been adversely affected, with some unable to send their children back to school due to the unpaid wages.
“There are floods of people outside the gate as we speak. Its something that we need to deal with urgently so that the government can give us an update. But I also request your indulgence, for the government representatives to talk to those people and give them some kind of response. These are mothers and bread winners of families who have not taken their children back to school because of this. And I want to appreciate the police for not beating them up but keeping them on guard.” He said
Deputy Speaker of Parliament, in response, acknowledged the gravity of the situation and assured that the matter would be addressed promptly upon the arrival of the Minister for Kampala and the Prime Minister in the house.
Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Anita Among, on Wednesday directed the Minister to urgently address the issue of wage arrears owed to KCCA’s casual laborers. This directive followed a demonstration by the laborers at Parliament on Monday, February 26, 2024.
During the Plenary session on February 28, 2024, Speaker Among reiterated the constitutional principle of equal pay for equal work without discrimination, emphasizing the severe implications of withholding wages on the laborers and their families. She urged KCCA leadership to prioritize resolving the concerns of the affected workers and ensuring timely payment of their wages.
“They haven’t been paid for 6months. Article 40(1) of the Constitution provides for equal payment for equal work without discrimination. I want to urge the leadership of KCCA to ensure that the aggrieved persons are attended to because people can’t work without being paid, how are their families being looked after? We want those people to be paid because at least we know, money has always been released for wages,” said Speaker Among said on Wednesday
The Speaker’s call came amid previous concerns raised by Members of Parliament regarding the cleanliness of the city, which they attributed to the low wages paid to cleaners.
The Presidential Affairs Committee, led by Richard Sebamala, expressed worry over the deteriorating cleanliness of the city and questioned whether this was linked to the meager daily pay of Shs6000 given to the cleaners.
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