The government has announced the suspension of the Bilateral Labor Agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in an effort to improve the welfare and rights of Ugandan immigrant workers in the Kingdom. In 2017, Uganda entered into a five-year labor agreement with Saudi Arabia aimed at promoting the welfare of immigrant workers.
Statistics from the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Develops show that Saudi Arabia is the biggest labor externalization destination in the Middle East with over 150,000 Ugandans migrant workers. However, there have been persistent complaints about the torture of Ugandan laborers, confiscation of their travel documents such as passports, denial of leave and return permits, and non-payment among others.
With only a few days to the expiry of the agreement, on December 27th, 2022, Uganda through the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development has asked Saudi Arabia to address the different grievances raised by Ugandan immigrants if their working relationship is to be renewed.
On Friday, December 23rd, 2022, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Gender Aggrey David Kibenge informed recruitment agencies and pre-departure orientation and training institutions that the bilateral labor agreement with Saudi Arabia had been suspended effective immediately pending re-negotiations of the Agreement.
“This is therefore to inform you that clearance and deployment of migrant workers, approval of job orders, and training of migrant workers under this Agreement are suspended with immediate effect. Note, however, that this temporary suspension does not affect migrant workers whose travel had already been cleared by the ministry, prior to this date, and are in possession of signed contracts, travel tickets, and entry visas” read the letter in part.
The suspension of the agreement has met strong criticism from labor externalization companies describing the abrupt move as disruptive to their business and against the provisions of the Agreement. The agreement is automatically renewed upon expiry but parties intending to suspend or terminate the contract, can issue a notice at least six months giving reasons for their intention. The sixty days are used to address any grievances raised by either party, and a decision on future relationships taken.
A source in one of the labor recruitment agencies told Uganda Radio Network that on Friday, they held a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Gender and agreed that proper procedures be followed if the suspension is to be effective. Kibenge says that they have tabled their demands before Saudi Kingdom officials and hope that their demands shall be met by the close of 60 days.
He indicated that they have already confirmed receipt of the notice and are working on resolving the matter. He says that for a long time they have asked Saudi officials to respect the provisions of their bilateral agreement especially those regarding protecting immigrant workers and ensuring their welfare but their efforts have yielded minimal if any results.
Kibenge also says that the government is pursuing other efforts for the protection of Ugandan workers. In the pipeline is the recruitment of labor attaches to follow up on Ugandan laborers abroad, strengthen embassy offices and establish a call center in Uganda to which, complaints about the welfare of Ugandan workers can be reported for action.
The cabinet resolved to issue a supplementary budget of four billion Shillings but Kibenge says that the Ministry of Finance is yet to respond. He is optimistic that when Uganda strengthens its presence in Saudi Arabia, it shall easily monitor Ugandans working there and promote their welfare working together with the Kingdom.
Martha Okumu Ringa, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under which all agreements with foreign countries are entered, said that indeed Saudi has a running bilateral labor agreement with Uganda and that the issues around the effective implementation of the agreement and Suspension plans shall be handled by the implementing institution, the Ministry of Gender.
Ronnie Mukundane, the Spokesperson of the Uganda Association of External Recruitment Agencies-UERA declined to comment on the relationship between Uganda and Saudi Arabia, saying that with the ongoing negotiations, the matter is beyond them as recruiters and they can only wait for the two countries to re-negotiate as communicated.
According to the 2021 Uganda Human Rights Commission annual report, although migration has provided employment opportunities and improved the living conditions of many Ugandans and their families, reports of harm and exploitation experienced by Ugandan migrant domestic workers at the hands of their employers in the Middle East, including sexual and physical abuse, withholding of salaries, The report says that all these human rights violations and abuses should be addressed to make working in the Middle East safe.
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