By Ritah Ainembabazi
President Yoweri Museveni has called for negotiations between employers and employees instead of instituting mass lay offs due to the covid-19 lockdown.
The president made the call in his address as the country scientifically marked the international labour day.
“Therefore on this labour day, I want to cheer you up, don’t listen to these people who are talking doom, things are going to collapse, I don’t know what, yes they may collapse elsewhere but not here” the president said.
He says Uganda has got a strong base though people don’t know it because they behave artificially.
The president advised employers to send home the workers briefly on a non paid leave and recall them after the situation normalizes rather than laying them off.
“This business of laying off workers is not a good idea, things are going to improve tomorrow so why do you lay off? They don’t even weigh the words because they hear people in Europe are laying off workers they also lay off” president Museveni said.
The international labour day is being observed under the theme “improved access to financial services for employment creation”.
