"Amid threats and exploitation, Ugandan union strives to organize garment sector"

... Earlier in May, five members of the Uganda Textiles, Garments, Leather, and Allied Workers Union (UTGLAWU) were arrested by police in the capital of Kampala.

Carrying posters and a banner that read “Pay your workers, respect labor rights,” the group had arrived at a store that sold products by apparel multinational corporation, Adidas, to deliver a letter as part of an ongoing global campaign against wage theft and exploitation of workers in the garment supply chain, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The campaign, which is composed of 285 trade unions and labor rights groups, has accused Adidas of withholding pay from workers, with US$11.7 million in wages owed to workers in eight supplier factories in Cambodia alone.

The UTGLAWU’s solidarity action started with union members approaching the store in Kampala to deliver a letter. However, they were arrested and taken to the central police station. They proceeded to be detained and interrogated for hours as police attempted to frame their action as an unlawful protest and trespass, constituting a violation of the Public Order Management Act (POMA)...

Meanwhile, she added that the UTGLAWU was also trying to reach out to home-based workers, including those involved in tailoring, sewing, and knitting activities. According to a 2013 World Bank report, 86% of jobs in the non-agricultural informal sector were household-based. The Union has also been mobilizing workers in the leather, plastics, and foam industries...