By Aggrey Baba
Millions of Ugandans working in informal businesses could get a formal voice in national economic decision-making under proposals by the Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation, Gen Salim Saleh, who wants labour unions and informal-sector representatives brought into the country’s proposed political settlement.
In a working paper co-authored with his personal secretary Prof Ogenga Otunnu, Salim Saleh identifies the National Organization of Trade Unions (NOTU), sector-based labour unions and informal-economy representatives as key stakeholders who should participate in the proposed Joint Implementation Committee.
The proposal recognizes that the country’s economy extends far beyond government offices, established companies and formal employment, with millions of people depending on small businesses, casual labour and other informal activities for survival.
He argues that a political settlement which only brings together political parties and government officials risks leaving out the very people whose economic grievances contribute to social divisions and national instability.
The OWC boss therefore proposes formalizing and including the informal economy through government policies linked to the proposed agreement, while giving labour organizations a role in advocating for workers’ interests and monitoring economic reforms.
The unions would also be expected to challenge elite capture of the proposed arrangement, particularly where political cooperation creates opportunities for influential individuals while ordinary citizens continue to face economic exclusion.
Gen Saleh further proposes that labour organizations mobilize workers across regional, religious and political divisions to build solidarity and promote a shared national identity.
He wants unions to demand transparency and accountability in government policies affecting wages, working conditions and public services, as well as negotiate sector-specific social contracts tied to measurable national inclusion targets.
The document links economic exclusion to the persistence of sectarian divisions, arguing that national cohesion can’t be achieved if opportunities and resources remain concentrated among a small political and economic elite.
By proposing a formal place for organized labour and informal-sector representatives in the implementation structure, Salim Saleh is seeking to make workers participants in national decision-making rather than mere recipients of government policies. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
