Women seeking household jobs abroad beg govt not to abolish labour exportation

By Ben Musanje

14^th July 2022

A section of women that have ever worked in Saudi Arabia as housemaids have raised their voices against the government move to abolish externalization of labour.

This comes after the Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development Betty Amongi yesterday informed recruitment agencies under their umbrella, the Uganda Association of External Recruitment Agencies – UAERA that the cabinet suspended the licensing of new companies with a move to abolish the sector once it is now well streamlined.

Speaking to the journalists in Kampala, the former migrant workers in Saudi Arabia but also in a process of returning for household jobs including Prossy Zawedde, Pream Natukunda, Betty Namugosa and Winnie Musimenta among others want the government to strengthen the memorandum of understandings with Gulf countries instead of abolishing externalization of labour.

They also want the government to negotiate for salary increment of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia from the current 800,000shs to 1.5mshs as well as establish a monitoring system to monitor all Ugandans in the Middle East.

Migrant workers however reminded the government that jobless Ugandans will increase in number once externalization of labour is abolished and more cases of domestic violence will be registered since it is one of the major causes of running for household jobs in the Middle East.

In 2016, the government imposed a ban on the externalization of workers following reports of hostility meted out on Ugandans working abroad but in the following year the ban was lifted.