Joshua Laban Musinguzi, the Head of the External Labour Monitoring Unit (ELM) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has revealed that the majority of migrant workers especially those working in Middle East Countries are suffering.
He said that these are facing numerous challenges including; a lack of enough knowledge on their contracts, and lack of health insurance, among others.
He said that during his tour in the Middle East, he met over 170 migrant workers but the majority of them told me that they lack knowledge about their contracts,
“They ignorantly signed them and this has exposed them to so many challenges including lack of health insurance only a few like barristers, waiters, and others have the health insurance which is also limited,” he said
“It is a pity that our fellow Ugandans are working out but face such challenges we as the special desk want to ensure that they are safe and this will start by first of all-knowing all of them, through data sharing and streamlining this labor externalization concept through working together with different government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs),” he added.
He made these remarks while addressing journalists in Kampala after concluding a one month tour where he traveled to different countries in the Middle East countries to establish the plight of migrant workers
Musinguzi said that the tour was part of their efforts to ensure that migrant workers get favorable working conditions coupled with good pay,
“I was surprised to learn from the migrant workers that some of their employers do not pay the exact amount stipulated in their contracts. This is frustrating many of them, they requested for our immediate interventions which we have vowed to work on,” he said
The ELM desk he heads is a special unit that was created at the MFA last year to help in co-regulating the Labour externalization sector with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD.
He said that he also met with different stakeholders from these receiving governments and foreign companies, during this tour
“The companies told me that they have issues with the EMS system of MGLSD which delay, the application takes a lot of time, they also want to engage in other sectors, not domestic workers who are mostly exported there,” he said adding,
“The Foreign Recruitment Agencies decreed delays in approval and Accreditation from the government, encouraged other Professions rather than only domestic workers, expound on the Pre-departure training through more skills development and the bilateral agreement with their home governments,” he said
“The governments’ officials I met said that the Bi-lateral agreements will help in streamlining the sector because issues agreed will accommodate all workers, not individuals,” he said
Musinguzi said this figure has since risen up to an estimate of over 200,000.
