Minister Mukwaya meets Oman officials over jobs, safety for migrant workers

The Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Janat B. Mukwaya has met with H.E.  Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Abdullah al-Bakri, the Minister of Manpower of the Sultanate of Oman during which they discussed the creation of new opportunities for migrant workers and ensuring their safety.

This was on the side-lines of the ongoing 106th International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Meeting was attended by Ambassador Christopher Onyanga Aparr the Permanent Representative to Uganda’s Mission in Geneva and Pius Bigirimana the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.

During the meeting, both Ministers underscored the importance of promoting safe migration including the promotion and protection of the rights of migrant workers.

Recognising that the Sultanate of Oman is recipient of Ugandan migrant workers, the two Ministers agreed on the need to establish bilateral cooperation in the area of employment.

It was accordingly agreed that a meeting on the employment of Ugandans in the Sultanate of Oman will be held soon between the two Ministers in Muscat, Oman at a date to be mutually agreed upon by the two Governments.

The meeting was part of a series of engagements the Ugandan delegation at the Labour Conference is making with various stakeholders to advocate for labour programmes and rights for Ugandan citizens.

The delegation is led by Minister Janat Mukwaya with Bigirimana as the alternate head.

The conference goes through this week during which Uganda is expected to assume its new seat as a Deputy Member to represent the East Africa Region in the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation.

Uganda got elected to the position during the Second Specialized Technical Committee Meeting of the African Union on Social Development, Labour and Employment held in Algiers, Algeria in April.