Govt set February 1st 2024 for enforcement of Labour laws, regulatory framework

By Francis Jjunju

21^st Sept 2023

Government through the line ministries and agencies has given up to February 1^st, 2024 for companies and all employers to comply with the labour laws and a regulatory framework in regards to remittances on employee salaries.

During a stakeholder’s workshop on social security protection for employees in the ICT sector organized by the NSSF in Kampala, the State Minister for ICT and National Guidance Godfrey Kabbyanga Baluku, said many employers are still defiant over the legal equipment regarding payments for the workers.

He specifically pointed out Radio Stations where his ministry through the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has received a lot of reports of how journalists are exploited, working without contracts, not paid their salaries or wages or NSSF benefits.

Kabbyanga reminded that under the new law, every employer is under obligation to register with NSSF regardless of the number of workers.

He also says that they recently instructed all media houses to attach NSSF payment lists and PAYE remittances onto period reports during their submission for operational license renewal.

He says the government is determined to streamline operations of the media industry in Uganda, avoid exploitation which would lead to professional compromise which leads to quark journalism and abuse of the profession.

Available data at the UCC there are 294 registered radio stations, 73 TV stations, 50 Courier companies, 74 on line data companies and 39 Telecommunication operators.

Kabbyanga emphasized the importance of social saving through NSSF as one of the areas through which government can ensure social security for its population as individual savers but also to raise funds for national development which can save the country from relaying on donor money that has currently left the country in confusion with the insistence on scraping of the Anti-Homosexuality law for the World Bank to extend any loan to Uganda.

The meeting was attended by Media managers, ministry of gender labour and social development, UCC, NITA-U, NSSF and labour union movement representatives.