Labour recruitment companies have connected many Ugandans to jobs abroad
The Anti-Slavery Bill 2020, if passed in its current form, will stop external recruitment labour companies from charging Ugandans a number of ‘unnecessary’ fees.
The Bill is currently being scrutinized by Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee
While introducing The Anti-Slavery Bill in June 2020, Herbert Ariko (Soroti Municipality) said that the legislation is intended to directly address the aspects of trafficking in persons that pass off as legitimate business, such as those carried out by labour recruitment agencies.
He noted that these external recruitment agencies in some instances through their actions or omissions expose Ugandans migrating abroad for promised work to severe exploitation and debt bondage through speculative recruitment practices.
Ariko also accused these firms of charging exorbitant recruitment fees, withdrawing of travel documents and identification documents from Ugandans and, transferring recruited persons to other recruiters overseas and subjecting Ugandan migrant workers to oppressive or deceptive contract terms or treatment whether at home and abroad.
In Clause 19, Ariko is seeking for a jail term of five years for a person who directly or indirectly charges or imposes a recruitment fee or charge on the recruitment fee or charge on the recruited person whether during or after the recruitment process and whether upfront, through deduction.
He explained in the Bill that recruitment fee or charge means any payment that is associated with the recruitment process and included fees or charges- soliciting, identifying, considering, interviewing, referring, retaining, transferring, selecting, training, providing orientation to skills testing, recommending or placing employees or potential employees.
Ariko added that recruitment fees also include money charged in pretext of; advertising, obtaining labour certifications, visa or processing applications or petitions, translation services, medical insurance, travel costs, accommodation, language interpretation or translation, equipment fee.
However, Government mandated fees such as border crossing fees, levies or worker welfare funds will have to be paid.
