By Hon. Agnes Kunihira Abwoli, Female Workers Member of Parliament
In January 1993, the 15th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (15th ICLS) adopted an international statistical definition of informal sector that was subsequently included in the revised international system of national accounts (SNA 1993)
But inclusion in the SNA of informal sector identification was considered essential as it would make it possible identify the sector separately in the accounts and, hence to quantify the contribution of the informal sector to the growth domestic product
In order to obtain an internationally agreed definition of the informal sector which was accepted to labour statisticians as well as national accounts, the informal sector had to
be defined in terms of
characteristics of production units (enterprises) in which the activities take place (enterprise approach), rather than in terms of the characteristics of the persons involved or of their jobs (labour).
Employment in the informal sector that includes all jobs informal sector enterprises or all persons who. During a given reference period, were employed in at least
one formal sector enterprise, irrespective of their status in employment and whether it was their main or a second job.
There are private unincorporated enterprises (excluding quasi corporations) i.c enterprises owned by individuals or house hold that are not constituted as separate legal entitles independently of their owners, and for which no complete accounts are available that would permit a financial separation of the production activities of the enterprise from the other activities of its owner (s). private unincorporated enterprises include unincorporated enterprises owned and operated by individuals house hold members or by several members of the same house hold, as well as unincorporated partnerships and cooperatives formed by member of different house holds, if they lack complete sets of accounts.
The 5th ICLS resolution (ILO2000) defined informal sector enterprises on the basis all or at least some of the goods or services produced are meant for sale or barter, with the possible inclusion in the informal sector of house holds producing domestic or personal services in employing paid domestic employees.
In Uganda we find such workers mainly in urban centers majority of them work while others work as, wheel borrow pushers, shoe shiners, luggage lifters, boda boda cyclists, tax drivers and vendors (batembeyi), brokers, among others, the list is endless.
In rural sector however, we have informal workers also, these include brick makers and many others.
The birth of COFTU in 2003 was a very big land mark in the history of the labour movement in Uganda. It marked the beginning of organizing and recruitment of workers in the informal sector. Currently there are four unions that have been successfully organized under COFTU and these are: Uganda Artisan and General workers union, Uganda Markets employees union
National union of creative and performing artists and Uganda (Both of these later crossed to NOTU)drivers cyclist and allied workers union.
Economy workers can be detected from the definition of what a trade union which thus says ”A trade union is a voluntary organization formed by workers to practice collective bargaining “in order to fight for protection and defence of their rights and interests at their place of work and to express their views on the problem they encounter while working with others in society.
Going by the above definition, it is self explanatory that informal economy workers have concerns, problems, views, suggestions and many pressing issues that affect them. These include un fair taxation, bad Government policies, interference by civic leaders eg LCs, LCCs, KCCAs enforcement officers etc, lack of markets for their produce (market workers), lack of day care centers for breast feeding working, storage facilities and many others.
It is therefore imperative that the informal economy workers need to join trade unions that can enable them confront these problems.
Labour unions must therefore come out strongly to organize all workers in the informal sector to enable them benefit from their constitution rights and to ensure justice, equity and fair treatment from the authorities ■
