By Our Reporter
The government has been asked to withdraw the call for deductions on employees’ salaries because Ugandans are already stressed by the effects caused by the pandemic.
This comes amid uproar from Ugandans who have since criticized the call by the task force to company executives requesting their employees to donate at least Shs10,000 towards the fight against COVID19.
The fund targets to collect Shs30 billion from 1.5M workers and their respective employers.
The executive director of Transparency International Uganda, Peter Wandera advises the fund to instead raise more money from other sources including the savings arising out of the different activities cancelled due to COVID-19.
“These include foreign travels (tickets and per diems, workshops, National celebrations (Heroes day, Independence day) and other administrative overheads saved from the lockdown,” says Wandera.
Wandera adds that much as the appeal by the task could be noble to buy test kits and other support materials, there is need to understand the challenges that Ugandans are facing.
“Currently, most of the salary earners have not been working for close to two months, some have received salary cuts, others are on forced leave and the economy is struggling which leaves their future uncertain.”
He adds that “such an appeal shall lead to further anxiety of already stressed employees and employers. The majority of people are now living on the minimum budget possible and requesting the deductions in the current is insensitive.” says Wandera.
He meanwhile says much as the appeal by the task force is not compulsory, such an appeal puts employers in a “fix” that will force them to comply and deduct the money from the employees.
