By Stephen Ouma Bwire- Editor.
The National Organization of Trade Unions (NOTU) General Council convened on November 15, 2022 with 27 affiliates attending and electing new top leaders of the federation’s Executive Board .Kabweri County Member of Parliament Hon Stephen Mugole was elected unopposed as Acting Chairman General after affiliates passed a “vote of no confidence” in former Chairman General Mr Usher Wilson Owere.Members elected Mr Richard Bigirwa as new Acting Secretary General after Hon Peter Werikhe Christopher stepped aside while Mr Moses Mauku was given Treasurer General’s position replacing Stephen Legese, who resigned. Youthful Barbara Bandaru was elected Deputy Treasurer General.The new team is made up of a mixture of vast knowledge and expertise in various professions and sectors. This element is expected to be a force to reckon with as far as trade union development programs are concerned.Ugandan workers have suffered for nearly two years after the country was put under lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As things looked slowly but constantly coming back to normalcy endless administrative wrangles within the labour fraternity have became an impediment to NOTU’s recovery programs.On three occasions NOTU Chairman General Mr Usher Wilson Owere failed to steer and moderate business during meetings of the Governing Council as his personal vendetta with the Secretary General Hon Peter Werikhe Christopher took central stage. Members hold a view that even if the Secretary General had a case to answer he was not given chance to defend himself nor was he given chance to step aside or resign altogether. But when it became clear that some other candidate was planning to replace the Secretary General the same Chairman General who had been chasing the NOTU CEO to leave office , was now frustrating the process of him leaving peacefully.As if that was not bad enough on October 25, 2022 NOTU Chairman General declared himself titular head, overthrew the board and General Council, sacked the Secretary General in a “coup detat “ and froze all NOTU bank accounts..Efforts to mediate and reconcile members in the heightened wrangles of warring groups embroiled in power struggle failed.It is against this background that it became prudent for affiliates to seek means and ways of saving the federation from total collapse. They used the opportunity from Gender, Labour and Social Development (GLSD) Ministry to hold the council.The Ministry said it had reviewed the petition by affiliates of NOTU dated 27 October 2022, calling for extraordinary General Council meeting and the impending ” Vote of No Confidence” in the Chairman General of NOTU.Officials in the Ministry emphasized that the petition of “Vote of No Confidence” on the Chairman General is an internal matter of NOTU as a registered organization. They advised that the matter would be determined by the relevant NOTU organ mandated to handle the same matter as per NOTU constitutionIn bid to dispel uncertainty in the federation the Ministry said it had no objection with the notice for holding an Extraordinary meeting which was requested for by the petitioners on 27th October 2022, as long as it was done in accordance with Section 34 of the Labour Unions Act, 2006.But now that Governing Council was convened and elected officials, it is important to start a healing process, reconcile members and promote unity of the affiliates. NOTU does not belong to one individual “ring fenced” on a position but to all affiliates.It is time to revamp the federation into a vibrant, united,– dynamic and progressive labour federation for workers ■
