Beatrice

Beatrice (34) is a wife and a mother of 4 children. She works as a quality controller at Rosebud rose farm in Uganda and has a management position as secretary of the trade union. She began working at the flower farm when she was 19 years old, soon after completing secondary education.

Beatrice. Photo: Jan Banning.
Text courtesy of Hope Kabuchu

Highest-ranking union representative

As union secretary since 2022, Beatrice is the highest-ranking union representative in the Rosebud branch of the UHISPAWU union. As a trade union leader, she wants to have her colleagues speak with one voice. It gives her a good feeling to help colleagues solve problems at work and feels duty-bound to stay with them. Otherwise she would have left long ago because the wages are so low. However, she continues, although the wages are low, the company pays on time. Like many of her colleagues, the flower industry in Uganda pays them roughly 69 euros a month, and from this the premium for the social security funds (NSSF) and taxes still have to be deducted.

Challenges and results

Some of the most difficult situations she has encountered in her union work were to do with previous challenges faced by the workers, for example being denied access to the company gates if they arrived a couple of minutes late, being assigned strenuous tasks and not being given the days off they were entitled to. Beatrice is pleased that thanks to increased skills in bilateral bargaining and dialogue with the company, UHISPAWU was able to secure for Rosebud employees a wage rise, rest days after 6 days of work, annual leave of 21 days per worker, inclusion of breastfeeding breaks for nursing mothers, paternity leave for male workers, freedom of association and the holding of union meetings on the company premises.

Beatrice and her family. Photo: Jan Banning

Constantly negotiating

The low wages in the flower industry has a negative effect on the workers’ families, most of whom can scarcely make ends meet. The union is trying to improve this but Beatrice tells us that some things are still difficult to accomplish. Negotiations go on constantly about provision of food during the lunch break, allowances for transport, housing and food, as the meagre monthly salary means that these are unaffordable. What is more, all the employees earn the same wage, regardless of how many years they have worked for the company, which is perceived as unfair in view of the advantage that older employees have over newcomers in terms of experience and skills. Added to this is that work pressure in some departments is extremely high because of the small number of employees.

Proud of what her union has been able to achieve

Nevertheless, Beatrice is proud of what her union has been able to achieve and she hopes that the employer will provide her colleagues with transport and housing allowances. Looking to the future, she hopes that the company will endeavour to meet the fair-trade standards, that the labour standards will be complied with, that the union will bargain for better terms and conditions and that her colleagues will not leave but will continue working in the flower sector.