Jack:
Under normal circmstances, the North American markets are sensitive to
abuse of labourers. The blue eyed (favorite son of the wazungu) might escape
the wrath of the consumers in the short-term, but their sins might catch up
with them in the long-run.
Ok.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
>"Kananathan was unavailable for comment, as was Bitangaro. Ms
Mary Okurut, the presidential spokeswoman, said State House has been too busy
making preparations for the on-going Inter-Governmental Authority on
Development summit to think about the Agoa crisis.
>
>"I can't talk about that now, we are having visiting Presidents
so it is a bad time," she said.
>
>
>
>Eh a little spin like 'It is a god time to bury bad news" could
do!
>JSA
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Chris Opoka-Okumu
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: Friday, October 24, 2003 2:14 AM
> Subject: AGOA girls sleep at Parliament
>
>
> The Monitor
> October 24, 2003
> Agoa girls sleep at Parliament
> By Our Reporters
> Oct 24, 2003
>
>
> ** Tri-Star shuts out ministers
> ** High Court stops sackings
>
> KAMPALA - More than 200 female workers at a local textile firm
who were sacked on Wednesday spent the night at Parliament yesterday, and
vowed not to leave until their problems are solved.
>
> The young women (popularly referred to as Agoa girls), who
spoke to The Monitor by phone, said they were going to sleep on chairs in the
TV room in Parliament buildings.
>
> MPs were by press time organising food for the girls and a
place to bathe.
> The girls went on strike on Monday, protesting low pay and
poor working conditions, before barricading themselves inside their
dormitories the following day.
>
> The strike was ended on Tuesday afternoon after anti-riot
police led by the Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Katumba Wamala, broke
into the dormitories.
>
> However, a meeting between the management of the textile firm,
Apparels Tri-Star, and labour officials fell through before the textile bosses
announced that they were sacking all their production staff.
>
> The company employs more than 1,000 girls. A law firm working
for the workers successfully applied for a court injunction yesterday stopping
the dismissals.
> Justice Okumu Wengi of the High Court issued the injunction.
>
> It followed an application filed by one of the girls, Ms Zauja
Biryeri, as well as Uganda Textile, Garments, Leather & Allied Workers
Union together with the National Organisation of Trade Unions, Notu.
>
> The application was lodged through Barya, Byamugisha & Co.
Advocates. The order restrains the company from sacking the girls without
paying all their dues, benefits and repatriation costs.
>
> It also stops the sackings until a separate civil suit filed
yesterday by the girls against the company is disposed of.
>
> In the civil suit, the girls want to be paid, among others,
overtime allowances which they say accrues from working 13, instead of the
legally accepted 8-hour days.
>
> However, policemen deployed at the Tri-Star factory in
Bugolobi, Kampala, stopped Workers MP Bruno Pajobo from delivering the
injunction to the Tri-Star boss, Mr V. Kananathan.
>
> Efforts by several senior government officials to speak to the
Tri-Star management were in vain.
>
> Mr Sam Bitangaro, the state minister for Gender, Labour and
Social Development, tried unsuccessfully to speak to Kananathan. Government
officials who declined to be named in this report said the matter was passed
on to Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi, but that he, too, had failed to resolve
the impasse - with the textile managers reportedly claiming that they would
only speak to President Yoweri Museveni, who helped them set up shop.
>
> Kananathan was unavailable for comment, as was Bitangaro. Ms
Mary Okurut, the presidential spokeswoman, said State House has been too busy
making preparations for the on-going Inter-Governmental Authority on
Development summit to think about the Agoa crisis.
>
> "I can't talk about that now, we are having visiting
Presidents so it is a bad time," she said.
>
> When the girls realised that they were not going to be let
back into the factory, they marched to Parliament in the afternoon and camped
in the gardens.
>
> Matembe speaks
>
> They were met there by another Workers MP, Mr Martin Wandera -
with many of them either sobbing or wiping tears.
>
> Wandera told the girls to remain calm while they tried to
solve the matter with the Labour ministry.
>
> Shortly after, outspoken women rights activist and former
minister of Ethics and Integrity, Ms Miria Matembe, arrived and advised the
girls to seek audience with either the President's Office or those who
recruited them.
>
> "There must be a better way of sending you away; do they
expect you to go sell yourselves on the streets?" Matembe said. "Go back to
the factory and only leave on instructions of the President like you came."
>
> Mr Aggrey Awori, the MP for Samia Bugwe North, who also spoke
to the girls, told them where to vent their anger.
>
> "Do you know your President?" he asked. "Yes," they chorused.
>
> "Then where does he work?" he added, drawing murmurs from the
girls.
>
> "Do you see that building?" he asked, pointing to one of the
wings of Parliament, where Mr Museveni has an office. "Yes," they chorused
again.
>
> "That's where he works; go there and ask him why he brought
you."
> By press time last night, the girls were still camped at
Parliament and had vowed not to leave.
>
> MP Pajobo told The Monitor last evening that he, and his
colleagues, would camp with the girls throughout the night.
>
> Officials comment
>
> Two senior officials on Agoa were divided over the way forward
in the matter.
> The Presidential Assistant on Agoa, Ms Susan Muhwezi, who
revealed that Tri-Star has been receiving about $200,000 (Shs 400 million) a
week from its exports, said the girls were free to go.
>
> "We gave them the skills and it's a free market; they can walk
out and go elsewhere if they are not satisfied," she said.
>
> But the Senior Presidential Adviser on Agoa, Mr Onegi Obel,
warned that Tri-Star would be punished if investigations find the firm at
fault. "What I see today with the strikes is a case of poor management of
human resource," he said.
> He promised to do everything within his means to ensure that
the girls are reinstated and their grievances settled.
>
> Reported by Simon Kasyate,
> Lominda Afedraru, Alex B. Atuhaire & Henry Ssali
>
>
>
>
> � 2003 The Monitor Publications
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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