Collective bargaining in Uganda’s coffee supply chain

KAMPALA (ILO News) - The right of workers and employers to freely form or join organizations and to engage in collective bargaining are fundamental principles and rights at work. Despite the fact that they are essential instruments to prevent and eliminate child labour, they are often omitted in the discussion on addressing child labour. Strengthening the voice of coffee farmers, workers and employers, including those in the informal sector, through organizing provide the pre-requisite to negotiate collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) that can address directly key drivers and root causes of child labour (e.g. clause that company will not buy from suppliers using child labour, clause on sponsorship of education of children, clause on monitoring mechanism, etc.) in the coffee supply chain. 

In September 2023, the CLEAR Supply Chains project started a consultation process among Uganda’s employers and workers’ organizations to assess the level of freedom of association and collective bargaining in Uganda’s coffee supply chain. It was noted that very few coffee farmers and workers are members of trade unions and while there are CBAs in place in the coffee sector, they often do not include clauses that address child labour, non-discrimination and occupational safety and health. With the objective of improving social dialogue and promoting an integrated approach that incorporates all five fundamental principles and rights at work in Uganda’s coffee supply chain, the ILO developed a capacity building programme for Uganda’s employers and workers’ organizations. 

The capacity building programme kicked-off with a training in May 2024 in Entebbe, on the importance of an integrated approach to advance the five fundamental principles and rights at work for the leadership of the National Organization of Trade Unions (NOTU), the Central Organization of Free Trade Unions (COFTU) and the Federation of Ugandan Employers (FUE) and their affiliates operating in the Ugandan coffee supply chain. Together with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, the employers and workers’ organizations developed parallel action plans that highlighted, amongst others, the need for improved capacity to prepare and negotiate CBAs in Uganda’s coffee sector that promote a spirit of labour-management partnership in the sector and incorporate clauses on child labour, non-discrimination and occupational safety and health. 

In response to the tripartite action plan, the CLEAR Supply Chains project organized in the week of October 7th-12th 2024 a specific capacity building session on freedom of association and collective bargaining for Ugandan employers and workers’ organizations in the coffee supply chain. Seven representatives (3 males, 4 females) of coffee companies and FUE, and 18 workers’ representatives (11 males, 8 females) were trained by the ILO’s specialist on freedom of association and collective bargaining, Daniel Cork, at the ILO’s office in Kampala. The training for workers’ organizations was co-facilitated by Mban Kabu, ILO Workers Specialist.

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Through the training, employers and workers acquired skills to identify stakeholders and common interests, to leverage for organization and collective bargaining, to prepare CBA negotiations and finally to actually negotiate. Practical examples of CBAs that include specific clauses on child labour, non-discrimination and occupational health and safety were shared and the training ended with a mock CBA negotiation. The worker representatives developed an action plan aimed at strengthening the organization of all categories of workers and expanding collective bargaining coverage to all workers in Uganda’s coffee supply chain.

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The capacity building training was very well received by all participants and encouraged them to engage in collective bargaining agreements as well as to develop strategies to improve the collective voice of seasonal workers (e.g. the casual workers carrying coffee bags, the coffee pickers and sorters, the hulling station operators) and to include them in union organization as well as collective bargaining.

It was however also noted that follow-up training is required to further develop the skills for organization of workers and membership, especially of workers in the informal economy, to map stakeholders and leverage international stakeholders, and to address labour rights protection gaps in Uganda’s legal and regulatory framework. 

With the upcoming European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive covering explicitly all five fundamental principles and rights at work, there is an opportunity for both employers and workers’ organization to strengthen their organizations and to promote decent work and prevent child labour in Uganda’s coffee value chain through the expansion of collective bargaining. 

© ILO