By Arthur
In a groundbreaking achievement for Carrefour workers in Uganda, the Uganda Hotels, Food, Tourism, Supermarkets, and Allied Workers Union (HTS Union), affiliated with UNI Global Union, has successfully negotiated its first collective agreement with Majid Al Futtaim Group, the franchisee responsible for Carrefour operations in the country. Effective until 2025, this agreement marks a significant leap forward in securing essential benefits and improved working conditions for over 300 Carrefour employees.
This significant achievement follows an extensive organizing campaign by the HTS Union, resulting in recognition at Carrefour Uganda in 2021. This organizing drive, accelerated by an international solidarity project led by UNI Commerce and supported by the FNV Union of the Netherlands, led to the recruitment of hundreds of union members.
Under the terms of the collective agreement, Carrefour workers in Uganda will be given priority for all new or vacant positions and posts within the company based on their existing qualifications while also benefiting from annual salary reviews and improved working conditions. Employees will receive UGX 200,000 when they take their legally mandated 21 days of annual leave. Additionally, the agreement entitles workers to 30 days of paid sick leave, ensuring financial security during health-related absences.
Job security is a significant aspect of the agreement, with provisions clearly defining aspects that warrant disciplinary misconduct, breaches, offences, and corresponding disciplinary procedures and actions. Furthermore, Carrefour will establish a disciplinary committee featuring union representation to safeguard workers’ rights and ensure fair treatment in all disciplinary matters.
Another critical focus of the collective agreement is the health and safety of workers, with Carrefour committing to comprehensive measures such as suitable uniforms, protective gear, and insurance coverage for work accidents while establishing an occupational health and safety committee charged with overseeing these measures and introducing a comprehensive sexual harassment and HIV/AIDS policy to eliminate any instances of gender-based violence or sexual harassment in the workplace. Female employees will benefit from an additional 30 days of paid maternity leave, extendable upon a doctor’s recommendation, in addition to the 60 days of paid maternity leave mandated by law, with shifts designed in their favour further to support pregnant and breastfeeding employees. Breastfeeding rooms will also be made available where feasible.
UNI Africa’s Regional Secretary, Keith Jacobs, commended the dedication of HTS Union, stating, “We are proud of the dedicated work of HTS Union that secured the first collective agreement for Carrefour workers in Uganda. Our Ugandan comrades have blazed the trail for further victories across Africa, including Kenya and Ivory Coast, where we are working with our affiliates to win inaugural contracts for Carrefour workers.”
Mauku R. Moses, the General Secretary of the HTS Union, expressed gratitude to UNI and FNV for their support, emphasizing that the collective agreement provides job security and fosters better working conditions and a safer workplace for Carrefour workers in Uganda.
With Carrefour’s expansion to seven stores and the organization of 300 workers out of the over 700 in Uganda since its launch in 2019, this collective agreement is a historic achievement. It sets a promising precedent for Carrefour workers across the African continent. It is the second collective agreement for Carrefour workers in Africa, following Tunisia, and reflects a growing commitment to workers’ rights and welfare in the region.
