Government has said it is in preparations to mark this year’s Occupational Safety and Health at Work Day, and the International Labour Day.
“All preparations are in high gear at both national and district level, and we look forward to hosting you all as we celebrate the workers,” said Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi, the minister of state for youth and children as she addressed journalists on Friday at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala.
The national celebrations of Occupational Safety and Health will be held on April 29, 2019 at Kampala Capital City Authority grounds at Lugogo in Nakawa Division.
The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is commemorated as an awareness-raising campaign intended to focus attention on emerging occupational safety and health trends; magnitude of work-related injuries, diseases and fatalities and on how to make our workplaces safe and healthy. This year’s national theme is “Safety, health and the future of work: Combating vulnerability of the Youth”.
The theme, according to minister Nakiwala, is embedded in this year’s campaign which highlights the critical importance of addressing the challenges the young workers face.
This year’s campaign is also aimed at accelerating action to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG target No. 8.8) of safe and secure working environments for all workers by 2030.
The theme also calls for strategies aimed at improving safety and health at work through promotion of decent youth employment and building a culture that fronts Occupational Safety and Health (OSH).
Meanwhile, all roads will lead to Patongo Akwee Primary School Playground in Patongo Town Council in Agago District where the national ceremony for the International Labour Day will be held on May 1, 2019.
The Day is commemorated to honour the contribution workers make towards development across the globe. The day is also used to create national and international awareness on the importance of promoting and protecting the rights of workers. Each year’s celebrations are designed to fit a selected theme and this year’s theme is “promoting employment through enhanced public infrastructure development”.
“The theme draws from the fact that public investment in infrastructure like rail, roads, power dams and power transmission, oil refinery, apart from creating jobs on their own, will eventually continue to bring down the cost of doing business, which will in turn attract private investment and create more jobs for the people of Uganda. It’s undisputable that infrastructure development has a multiplier effect on investment and job creation,” the minister said.
The International Labour Day 2019 theme relates to the challenges that the Country has been experiencing in provision of decent employment opportunities and job creation.
“I wish all the workers of Uganda happy and peaceful celebrations of the Occupational Safety and Health at Work Day, and the International Labour Day,” the minister said.
The National Housing Survey 2016/17 indicates that 21 percent (about 7.77 million) of the entire population are youth. The National Labour Force Survey report 2016/17 estimates that 57.3 percent (5.7 million) of a total labour force are youth. Pertaining to safety and health performance, ILO records indicate that working youth suffer up to a 40 percent higher rate of non-fatal occupational injuries than adult workers older than 25 years.
