Rebecca

Rebecca (25) is the mother of a daughter and baby number 2 is on its way. She has worked at Rosebud, the largest rose grower and exporter in Uganda for the last 9½ years and her speciality is rose propagation. She is also a member of the safety and health committee of the trade union at Rosebud. Rebecca enjoys her work and says "although the pay is low, I’m paid on time ".

Rebecca at work. Photo: Jan Banning
Text courtesy of Hope Kabuchu

Trade union secures pregnant women’s right to work

With baby number 2 on its way, Rebecca says that she is happy with her job. She says that unlike in the past, the company now allows pregnant women to work, which was one of the bargaining clauses of UHISPAWU union.

Happy that she can receive phone calls

Rebecca expects to be able to take advantage of the statutory 3-month paid maternity leave  that the company now complies with. She is happy that she is entitled to sick leave and holiday leave and that she “can receive phone calls during working hours”. This is a great comfort because she can be reached if there’s some problem to do with her small daughter at home or at school.

Why become a member of the union

Rebecca became a member of UHISPAWU union in 2015, mainly because the union helps stand up for an employee’s right against unfair dismissal. What she also welcomes is that the union would now tackle the sexual abuse of employees, and refers to an occasion when a female worker received help in a case of sexual harassment by a manager.

An end to entering recently sprayed greenhouses

Working hours have also been improved. Most people go home at 17.00, unlike in the past when some people were only allowed to leave late, after dark. Another improvement negotiated by the union is greater safety while spraying is taking place in the greenhouses. Employees are no longer forced to enter recently sprayed greenhouses. They now wait until the prescribed number of safety hours has passed. 

Still enough issues to negotiate

She believes that there is still lot to be negotiated for the women employees, for example paid leave before a mother’s delivery date, a wage increase, the provision of refreshments for workers during breaks, transport, lunch and overtime for most of the departments. Only the sorting department gets paid for overtime, whereas her department receives a bonus for grafting if they exceed the set target of 1,000 grafted plants per person per day, which is a target that is very difficult to meet.

Rebecca at home. Photo: Jan Banning

Impact on private life

Rebecca feels the effects of the low wage, which is not enough to pay for a large proportion of the household necessities and government taxes. She says that the employer should re-introduce a physical lunch at work, because a lot of employees simply can’t afford to buy lunch every day and usually have to go without.  She keeps going because of her work ethic and adds: "It’s better than staying at home and doing nothing". And like her husband, she too can contribute to the household expenses.

Proud member of the union

Rebecca is proud to be a member of the union because she has the feeling that her rights in the workplace are respected. And she knows that the union is behind her and will fight for her in the event of any violations.