12-4-11

Former Apparel Tri-star rots away, Girls in appalling conditions.

Halima Athumani

Redundant sewing machines, empty factory rooms, rusting metals and a bushy compound infested with
snakes and rats is what remains of the former Apparels Tristar company.

The company is now being run under the management of the Libya African Partnership textiles. The Old
factory has 12 production lines with each supposed to accommodate 120 workers all lying idle. At the
new garment factory opened on the 7 th of June 2004, there are 12 production lines each accommodating
70 workers is not any different.

Inside the former coffee stores now turned into dormitories are black metallic beds with 3 inch
mattresses some with just cardboards. The dormitories shared by 99 females and 7 males are separated
by black curtains on both sides. The green floor conditions are not any better, beneath the dormitory
floor is a trench covered with broken wood which some girls have fallen into.

The floor is littered with old dirty shoes, jericans and charcoal stoves. When it rains, the dormitory stinks
of sewage that flows through the trench with the roof leaking and water gushes underneath the beds
and corrdiors. Huge snakes and rats also use these trenches as a passage which the girls have to kill
almost on a weekly basis.

27 year old Ashaba Sikola from Kalabutungi village in Kanungu district enrolled in 2002 and had her
contract extended with the current management. Ashaba’s situation is no different from the other 98
girls. She works in the packing section as a helper earning 72,000 shs. With the high rate of termination,
each bed and mattress left behind is packed and taken to the stores.

//Cue in: Each was given…”

Cue out:…back to the stores.”

Ashaba adds that the trench pauses many dangers to the girls but their requests for renovation have
fallen on deaf ears.

Cue in: It is dangerous…”

Cue out:…situation we are in.”//

Without consideration to the high cost of living, the LAP textile workers are paid a monthly wage of
between 65,000 shs and 90,000 shs only. The girls residing at the factory have been issued with a notice
by the management, stating that accommodation will be at a monthly fee of 75,000 shs. Whoever is
agreeable with the notice should undertake it with the human resource department effective 1 st of April.
The Matron Kacho Juliet says she is forced to take away a mattress from each of the girls whose contract
is terminated. LAP textiles in 2007 recruited 800 workers, but at the beginning of this year, 300 were left
and the number reduced gradually as management terminated their contracts.

//Cue in: They told us…”

Cue out:…listen to them.”

Regina Tushemererwa says she enrolled under the Apparel Tri-star management where they were being
given medical care, sanitary pads and food which have all been scrapped off. Tushemererwa says on a
good day they work from 8:am-5:00pm. A days’ target is 75 pieces of cloth to be stitched and if they
work over time, there is no additional allowance paid.

Currently government owns 35%, Libyans earn 60% while former Tri-star manager Kananathan still earns
5% of the company.

A closed door meeting that took 4 hours today was attended by the LAP Executive Director Ibrahim
Shaffu, Boaz Kubalubo principal industrial labour relations and productivity officer, Ministry of Gender,
Labour and Social Development and members of the Uganda Textile, Garment, Leather and Allied
Workers Union.

It was agreed that the Company shall make payment in lieu of notice, payment of workers for numbers
of days worked and the company shall pay a severance of 80,000 shs effective 18t of April.

According to a letter dated 3rd March 2011 seen by URN, there is proof that the Labour Ministry is aware
of the LAP textile workers situation. However, little has been done to improve the condition. The letter
written by the Union was sent to the ministry in which they were informed of the working conditions. It
was agreed that the workers righst are being violated. Shaffu was then instructed to comply with the law
by immediately computing employee dues. He was to pay notice as required by the employment Act
2006 and refund al the NSSF deductions which were effected but were never remitted to the fund.

Efforts to get a comment from the LAP textile management were fruitless. Shaffu said he was not in the
mood to talk.

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