Sophia
“The union has given meaning to my life”
Sophia (43) is a single mother who has brought up four children. She is a harvester at rose grower Rosebud in Uganda. She is also deputy treasurer for the Rosebud branch of UHISPAWU union.
Sophia. Photo: Jan Banning
Text courtesy of Hope Kabuchu
Reprisals for union membership
Sophia has now been working in the flower industry for 16 years. She first worked at another flower company where she had to quit her job because of reprisals for being a member of UHISPAWU union. When she began working work at Rosebud she rejoined the union. In 2022 she was elected deputy treasurer for the Rosebud chapter of UHISPAWU.
Employment contract makes the difference
Sophia works at Rosebud as a harvester, with tasks varying from cutting flowers, pruning, weeding and sweeping round the greenhouses. She enjoys the work she does because she at least has an employment contract. In her previous job, Sophie was an overseer but because she didn’t have an employment contract she was unable to prove her experience in a leadership position to her current employer.
Sophia is departmental representative of employees. Her colleagues says she is very sociable and has the ability to engage with the management in an atmosphere of mutual respect. She finds it more difficult when it’s about problems faced by colleagues.
Abusive language reduced
The union has recently been able to agree a number of improvements on the shop floor. Sophia: “Thanks to improved social dialogue between UHISPAWU and the employer, the abusive language used by some supervisors has reduced and women are now able to take up maternity leave, which in the past was not the case”. Sophia says there are still concerns about the employer’s failure to promptly provide protective equipment and the low wages. The annual salary increase is so low that it makes no difference in the income on account of the high cost of living.
Sophia at home. Photo: Jan Banning
Impact of work on private life
“The union has given meaning to my life”, says Sophia. She has been able to follow a number of training courses and has improved her knowledge and understanding of the rights of workers, as a result of which her self-confidence has increased. The skills that she has acquired at the union, such as bargaining skills and conflict resolution, are put to good use in the community where she lives. She has been asked by the community to give advice on abuse and conflicts, because she is seen as someone with practical knowledge and experience.
Because of her low income, it is difficult for her to keep her children at school. The two eldest have already left secondary school.
Trade union UHISPAWU (Uganda Horticultural Industrial Services Provider and Allied Workers Union) is a union for workers in the flower sector in Uganda. The union has 4,000 members, 70% of whom are women. The union is run by women and young people. Mondiaal FNV has supported the union since 2015 and together with FNV Agrarisch Groen (Agricultural & Green sector), has contributed to developing UHISPAWU into a strong union and social partner.