Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2013, published 103rd ILC session (2014)

Protection of Wages Convention, 1949 (No. 95) - Uganda (Ratification: 1963)

Article 12 of the Convention. Payment of wages at regular intervals. Following up on its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s statement that the problem of the non-payment of wages exists mainly in the private and informal sectors, including domestic workers and other low-skilled jobs, and is basically due to subcontracting, the casualization of labour and labour brokerage. The Government indicates that, to address this problem, it has developed regulations to coordinate the activities of private employment agencies and subcontracting firms, as well as provisions on the casualization of labour. Moreover, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that, although it has scaled up labour inspection visits of workplaces, the responsibility for the prosecution of infringements relating to the timely payment of wages has been transferred under the Employment Act 2006 to the Industrial Court, which is presently not functioning. The Government adds, however, that it has taken all necessary steps to reactivate the Court. Recalling the importance of appropriate supervision and enforcement mechanisms backed up by a system of effective sanctions, the Committee requests the Government to keep the Office informed of any progress made with respect to the reactivation of the Industrial Court. The Committee further requests the Government to provide up-to-date information concerning the situation of non-payment or delayed payment of wages in the public and the private sectors, including inspection results, statistics on the number of workers covered by relevant legislation, copies of official documents or studies on wages issues, any agreed timetable for the settlement of outstanding payments, as well as any other measures taken or envisaged in order to put an end to those practices.