Musazi, You couldn't have said it any better. Thanks mate. You are right on the mark.
LM --- emmanuel musaazi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Netters this "Agoa girls" situation is a classic > example of why Africa is > where it is. Firstly some of us on this medium have > been vehemently accusing > the president of working against programs and/or > policies that favour third > world countries, case in point is the failed cancun > talks where President > Museveni was accused of siding with industrialized > countries. Well this AGOA > program is one of those programs which is supposed > to benefit third world > countries and which other third world countries are > signitories to > (including Senegal, Nigeria, Kenya etc) to name a > few. Yet most of you again > are turning around to accuse the Government of > introducing "SLAVERY" > programs to Uganda, you can't eat your cake and have > it. > > Secondly, the so called "Agoa girls" should have > been educated to the fact > that we are in a global economy right now, which > means that if the factory > can't work in Uganda it will work in China, if not > China, then India, if not > India then Bangladesh. That means that even though > they have a right to > protest and contest the conditions of work, they > ought to have done it in a > more CIVILIZED MANNER, so that they win both ways, > in other words they get > to keep their jobs and also have conditions of work > improved. Right now they > have lost completely, because they have no jobs, so > they are far worse off > than where they were before. Plus the company maybe > moved to some other > destination, luckly in Uganda or unluckly to some > other country. Besides > they also had the option of resigning, to me their > actions were rather > selfish because they may have closed oportunities > for others. The action of > the police was very right, the moment they > barrackeded themselves in the > building and threatened to set it ablaze, they had > fallen afoul of the law > and left the police with little choice than to > forcefully evict them. > > Thirdly, those of you that are shouting about > "SLAVERY" are working under > far worse conditions in BRITAIN, GERMANY, SPAIN, > DUBAI, AMERICA, etc and not > complaining. Who is worse off, at least the "Agoa > girls" are in there > country unlike those of you who are "REALY SLAVES" > in foreign countries. At > least they are not cleaning toilets, and > prostituting all over the world > and then coming home to decieve their relatives that > they are big shots. How > true are the late Bob Marley's lyrics "emancipate > yourselves from mental > slavery", in other words it is ok to go to BRITAIN > or DEBAI AND BE SUBJECTED > TO SLAVE LIKE CONDITIONS OF WORK, BECAUSE YOU ARE > DOING IT FOR "BAZUNGU" BUT > WHEN YOU ARE IN YOUR OWN COUNTRY IN A HONEST JOB, > BUT EARNING LOW PAY, YOU > ARE A SLAVE. MAY GOD SAVE US FROM OURSELVES, AMEN. > > > >From: "Chris Opoka-Okumu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >CC: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Subject: ugnet_: The failure of AGOA in Museveni's > Uganda > >Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 00:16:41 -0400 > > > > This indeed is the much vaunted > "modernization and > >transformation"!!! Phew!!! Obote is right. This > government is bankrupt of > >ideas of governace and management of the economy. > They can only survive on > >plagiarization and since there was no AGOA in the > 1980s, there was nothing > >to pliagiarize. Hence their bankruptcy of ideas on > the much hyped AGOA. > >Read on. Katumba Wamala abuses the office of IG of > Policer to intervene on > >purely contracual matterrs outside jurisdiction of > police in private > >relations. AGOA indeed!! My foot. > > > > COO > > > > Agoa girls sacked > > By Simon Kasyate & Lominda Afedraru > > Oct 23, 2003 > > > > > > ** Police boss Wamala ends strike > > ** They survived on doughnuts and > water > > > > KAMPALA - More than 1,000 young women > who were on strike at a > >local textile factory have been fired. > > > > The firm, which produces and exports > textiles to the United > >States under the African Growth and Opportunity > Act, Agoa, has also been > >closed temporarily. > > The employees, believed to be more > than 1,000, and popularly > >known as Agoa girls, were sacked following a > two-day strike at the Apparel > >Tri-Star factory in Bugolobi, Kampala. > > > > The head of the company, Mr V. > Kananathan, wrote to Dr David > >Ogaram, the commissioner for labour in the Ministry > of Gender, Labour and > >Social Development, yesterday confirming the > sacking. > > > > "In light of the [strike], we have > been forced to take a very > >painful decision, which is to terminate the > services of all our production > >staff summarily due to unbecoming conduct," the > official wrote in his > >letter. > > > > Kananathan said the strike had > disrupted the operations of the > >company, leading to "irreparable damage" to its > reputation and operations. > > > > The letter also announced the > temporary closure of the > >factory. "In view of the recent strike undertaken > by our employees, we have > >decided to temporarily close down the factory," > Kananathan wrote. > > > > The official, who was not available > for comment, said the > >girls would be paid all their outstanding arrears > as of Monday. > > > > Strike ends > > > > The sacking of the girls came after > Inspector General of > >Police Katumba Wamala ended the strike yesterday. > > > > The girls had been protesting low pay, > poor working conditions > >and reports that some of them were about to be > sacked. > > > > They also said that they were being > forced to share a > >dormitory and toilet facilities with males. > > > > On Tuesday morning, the girls > barricaded themselves inside the > >dormitory and refused to come out, despite appeals > from management and > >police. Then Maj. Gen. Wamala turned up at around > midday yesterday with a > >truckload of anti-riot cops. For close to an hour, > he urged the girls to > >call off the strike. > > > > Some of them told The Monitor that > when they refused to open, > >Wamala ordered his squad to storm. > > > > The police boss reportedly had asked > the girls to end the > >strike while he brokers a meeting between them and > the management of > >Tri-Star, which is run with government support. > > > > That meeting had been scheduled for > Saturday and the girls had > >threatened to burn the factory if the decision made > did not go their way. > > > > The Tri-Star management has refused to > comment on the strike > >since it began. > > The police chief did not speak to > reporters === message truncated === ===== LM __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com -------------------------------------------- This service is hosted on the Infocom network http://www.infocom.co.ug
