The National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED) party has advocated for the introduction of the Minimum Wage Act to curb employer-employee exploitation in Uganda.

The statements were made during the party’s weekly press release that took place on April 29, 2024, at the party headquarters in Rubaga, Kampala.

The party’s National Organizing Secretary, Godfrey Sentumba, stated that the minimum wage act will help wipe out the issues of exploitation and little or no pay for employees in the country.

“The so-called investors are exploiting the employees in the country, which can be seen according to the work load given to the employees, which is too much compared to the amount of money they are paid. In some cases, there is delayed payment or no payment at all,” he said.

Sentumba added that although the minimum wage act has not worked out in other countries like Kenya and South Africa, NEED is ready to benchmark and do case studies where the act has been successful.

“There are complaints about the minimum wage act, but as a party, we are ready to do case studies about the act to ensure that it works in Uganda. The minimum wage act will help reduce poverty levels among the people.” He added

A minimum wage is the minimum remuneration an employer is required to pay employees for the work performed over a specific period of time. Uganda’s minimum wage was last updated in 1984 and was set at 6,000 UGX, and it has not been revised thereafter. Currently, Uganda has no minimum wage.