Hon Agnes Kunihira-Workers MP, seeks leave of Parliament to table a Private Members' Bill entitled "Employment (Amendments) Bill 2019.

The object to the Bill is to amend the Employment Act in order to  specifically make provision for the regulation of domestic workers in Uganda so as to improve their working conditions, to provide for the protection of rights of domestic workers; to provide for the welfare, protection and security of domestic workers, to provide for compulsory registration of recruitment agencies, to prohibit discrimination against breast feeding mothers, to encourage employers to put in place policies and where possible facilities for breast feeding mothers and  to provide for the conversion of casual employment to contract of service.

Although the Employment Act, 2006 does not exclude its application to domestic workers and casual employees, the lack of express provisions in the law has led to severe exploitation women and children which include depriving domestic workers from their wages, more than 16-18 hours of work per day, absence of proper food and living or sleeping condition, forced labour and being totally cut off from their family members, bounded labour , sexual exploitation by their employers or by the agent during transit, at the office of agency and at the work place in houses of employers, the list of exploitation is endless. The purpose of this amendment is expressly recognise domestic workers and casual employees under the Act. This is especially important due to their vulnerability and susceptibility to exploitation and the fact that employers of domestic workers and casual employees have been reluctant to comply with provisions of the Act.

There is therefore need to expressly apply the Employment Act, 2006 to domestic workers and casual labourers.