By Our Reporter
Workers Member of Parliament Hon Charles Bakkabulindi has lambasted masqueraders in the Labour fraternity who are duping the public that they fight for worker’s rights when they are mere pretenders.
He said there is a “trade union” leader who represented workers in Parliament for 20 years but after losing out in the 2021 elections he has changed his position and says non – unionized category is better than Labour unions. Hon Bakkabulindi , a former State Minister for Sports for 15 years, said the trade union fraternity has had many “wolves in the sheep’s clothing” pretending to be defending workers when they are exploiting workers.
He said:” It is shocking and an insult on the workers who have always voted for Hon Dr Sam Lyomoki to represent them in parliament to hear that their legislator now prefers to side with the non – unionized workers”. The experienced legislator, said there are many crucial issues that affect workers today which are awaiting members of parliament to tackle in bid to safeguard workers’ rights in the country. Uganda has many Labour laws whose implementation has remained difficult while the absence of a minimum wage in the country has affected workers and hampered trade union activities.
He said: “ As we plan on how we shall retable the long awaited Minimum wage in the House we learn of one of our own has decided to team up with a one Mr Sam Amanyire under the non – unionized pressure group to dislodge Labour unions . Former Workers MP Hon. Dr Sam Lyomoki recently teamed up with former aspirant in the 2021 Workers Parliamentary race and petitioned the Constitutional court to halt Labour unions from electing legislators. They want non – unionized, whom they argue command the majority of workers, to be the ones electing workers representatives in Parliament.
Hon Bakkabulindi wondered how they would categorize such people where there is no existing employer – employee working relationship that is established and recognized by the 2006 Labour Unions Act. But the development involving Hon Dr Sam Lyomoki has been criticized by workers many of whom had regarded the MP in high esteem, ” as God’s Minister for Workers”. They now wonder what could have befallen the legislator.
Hon Dr Sam Lyomoki , the Secretary General at Central Organisation of Free Trade Unions (COFTU), is more leaning to non – unionized because today he belongs to no union after his medical union joined rival National Organisation of Trade Unions (NOTU). He even does not qualify to contest for position of Secretary General in COFTU since he has no affiliated union he belongs to which would second him to the federation.
Hon Bakkabulindi said workers should wake up and “fight” the non – unionized group, which could take advantage of laxity by unions to start demanding for representation on statutory boards. “ Workers should wake up and fight the non – unionized who could start demanding for representation on statutory boards. They could also be plnning to flood the elections centre with sacks of money to buy votes,” he said■
