Personal and Research Assistants to MPs in the 10th Parliament have petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga over poor pay and exploitation by lawmakers.
Through their body Uganda Parliamentarians Personal and Research Assistants Association, the disgruntled workers want Parliament look into their financial affairs since many of them go for months without pay.
They want Uganda Parliament to borrow a leaf from Kenya where personal assistants are paid by Parliament and put an end to their disguised employment. Currently, they are paid by MPs.
The association is composed of over 150 members.
Petitioning the Speaker yesterday, the MPs Personal Assistants prayed that they be incorporated into a formal working system so that they can add more value on the work of MPs, but also avoid conflicts related to salary and rights of Personal Assistants.
Among the issues raised was the sexual exploitation among the female political assistants, who accused their bosses of making sexual demands and failure to accept attracts firing.
In their petition read by the interim Chairperson of the Association, Festo Kajura, the Personal; Assistants noted that there is limited consideration of the assistants as being part of the parliamentary family, they have no job security and can be easily terminated.
They added that they also have unpredicted lunch, transport and remuneration, leaving several of them to suffering.
Kajura said that personal assistants need and desire to be recognized by Parliament Commission and clearly prescribe the parameters by which they should operate through amendment of the Parliament Administrations Act as well as the need for incorporation of Personal and Research Assistants into a formal working system of Parliament.
“We don’t have job security, we have unpredictable lunch, transport and remunerations because on average, a Personal Assistant earns between Shs300,000 to Shs350,000 per month which can’t facilitate the work of the Personal Assistant,” Kajura said.
The MPs’ Personal Assistants also revealed that the matter is worsened by instant termination of employment on assumption that they (Personal Assistants) are going to contest against them or ally with rivals.
Kajura added; “The purpose is to find a way of engaging personal assistants into formal way to the Parliament of Uganda and help them out of disguised employment and boost their work.”
Kajura called on the Speaker who heads the Parliamentary Commission to consider the model of Kenya where MPs’ Personal Assistants are paid salary but also encourage parliament to tap into the qualified group of Personal Assistants.
On her part, Kadaga said Personal Assistants need to be part of the system and promised to benchmark on the other parliaments and see if they can be integrated into the Parliamentary system.
She says they will start with access cards for the Personal Assistants who have been relying on the mercy of security and said there is need to study especially how to pay the assistants who are of different qualifications.
