A section of leaders of trade unions have petitioned the High Court seeking for a nullification of the elections for the 5 representatives of the workers members of  parliament in the 10th parliament. The petition before the court was signed by more than 10,000 workers challenging the workers MPs elect for the 10th parliament.
Addressing a news conference in Kampala the petitioners who include Paul Wepukhulu Mutambo from Uganda amalgamated transport and allied workers union, Kagoye Robinah General secretary Uganda parastatal, statutory authority and judiciary workers union, Joyce Lucy Atim general secretary Uganda nurses and midwives association, Mathias Ssuuna Mulumba, among others say that the elections should be nullified because the manner in which they were held was below the required standard.

In their petition filed by their lawyers Alaka and company advocates, Tumwesigye, Musoke, Opio and company advocates and Baluti Soozi and company advocates, they  also want court to interpret whether the former lawmaker in the East Africa parliament Lydia Wanyoto and Charles Bakabulindi the state minister for education were fit to be nominated to contest in the elections.

The group dragged three parties to court which include the electoral commission, Attorney General and the 5 workers MPs elect over the irregularities that marred workers MPs. They accused the electoral commission of failing to clearly publish the dates for workers election compared to the youth elections.

One of the petitioners Kagoye Robinah says the registrar of trade unions failed to maintain the updated register while conducting elections which caused some members to be closed out of elections. She says that although they have already received threats from state machinery to drop the case and some of their members bribed they are ready to fight on.
The workers members of parliament elect in contest include Charles Bakabulindi, Arinaitwe Rwakajara, Agnes Rwabashaija, Margeret Kununihira and Dr. Sam Lyomoki. The contested election was held on 11th of March at Namboole stadium.

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AP Photo/Stephen Wandera

Workers in the country have been challenged to vote workers’ representatives who will cause government to change its policies in favour of workers. The call was made by the former commissioner in charge of labour in the Ministry of Gender, labour and social Development Dr.David Ogalam while meeting  a number of trade unions in Kampala over labour laws and the up coming elections of workers representative to parliament in 2016.

Dr. Ogalam said that workers must vote workers MPs for the 10th parliament who know all the labour laws and will put government on task to implement them. He said that labour laws which include Labour unions Act, Employment Act, Occupational and safety Act, Workers compensation Act, Labour dispute law and National social security Act need to be critically enforced by government on the watching of workers leaders in parliament and trade unions.

He also warned workers’ union leaders to stop fighting each other over their selfish interests and wondered how unions fight each other when they continue to sing solidarity forever .

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Parliament sitting

Workers’ members of parliament and government have failed to find a method of how workers’ MPS will be voted for 2016 parliamentary elections. The legal committee chaired by the Member of Parliament for Kajara county, Stephen Tashobya, noted that following the Constitutional Court nullification of the law under which workers’ MPs were elected in the expiring term of the current parliament, government and the workers’ MPs  are still stuck  on finding a new method of voting workers.

The committee was surprised to see the workers’ MPs who included the Minister for sports Charles Bakabulindi and Rwakajara Arinaitwe together with the Attorney Fred Ruhindi insisting for the voting of the workers’ MPs using the nullified law yet the committee has been instructing them to bring a new voting formula for the committee to scrutinize.

MPs who included Abdul Katuntu, Baka Mugabi, Alex Ndezi, Fox Odoi, Kabakumba Masiko, Wilfred Niwagaba  and Paul Mwiru said that they will not keep a blind eye on this matter, demanding for a method which is agreeable to both the unionized and non-unionized workers in the country.

MPS say that if the government and workers representatives are still sticking to the old method they should go back to court and appeal against the ruling over the matter or cause a Constitional amendment. The member of parliament for Bukoli county Stephen Baka Mugabi proposed that there should be creation of another line of non-unionized workers voting through workers’ councils from lower level and later vote among themselves the leaders who elect workers’ MPS  so as they also participate in the elections to make the process open to all workers and to satisfy the law .

However the Minister of state for workers who is also the workers’ member of parliament Charles Bakabulindi said that leaving the old method of voting workers’ MPs is tiresome since it will require registering workers afresh.

The Attorney General Fred Ruhindi said that he will not appeal over this mater in court and admitting that he is now in a difficult position but a solution must be found. The committee is to request the speaker of parliament to give it more time to make a report before parliament on the parliamentary election amendment bill 2015 so as the MPs have enough time again with government and workers’ MPs to work out the method of electing workers’ representatives.

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Workers' MP, Sam Lyomoki

According to report from the Electoral Commission, the electoral colleges will be the National Organization of Trade Unions (NOTU) and Central Organization of Free Trade Unions (COFTU).

The EC boss Badru Kiggundu says that at least one of the five representatives must be a woman.

The contestants will be required to be nominated by at least two registered voters and pay a non-refundable fee of 200,000 shillings.

The workers’ MP elections are preceding the universal suffrage presidential and parliamentary elections due on 18^th February 2011.

Ultimate Media

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