MJL

The Enforcement of Labour Rights in Uganda: A Case Study of Unfair Dismissal and Workplace Discrimination Cases

Mamanero Benjamin, Ssekawa Rashid


Abstract

This study examined how effectively labour rights were enforced in Uganda, focusing on unfair dismissal and workplace discrimination disputes. It combined doctrinal analysis of Study 40 of the 1995 Constitution, the Employment Act, 2006 and the Labour Disputes (Arbitration and Settlement) Act, 2006 with analysis of selected decisions and a quantitative review of 340 labour dispute files. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, multiple linear regression and binary logistic regression were applied. Union membership shortened resolution time by 2.87 months and legal representation by 1.55 months, whereas public sector employment, written contracts and discrimination claims lengthened it. The model explained 24.0 per cent of the variance in resolution time. Claimants who had been given a pre-dismissal hearing had 71 per cent lower odds of success, while union membership and legal representation raised the odds of success 3.72 and 2.49 times respectively. Discrimination claims were not significantly less likely to succeed once other factors were controlled, though they took longer to resolve. The study concluded that Uganda’s statutory framework was comprehensive but enforcement depended heavily on collective and legal support. Recommendations addressed legal aid, labour administration capacity, hearing procedures and discrimination remedies.

Keywords

labour rights; unfair dismissal; workplace discrimination; Employment Act; Industrial Court; Uganda; trade unions; logistic regression
Metropolitan Journal of Law

Cite This Article

Mamanero Benjamin & Ssekawa Rashid (2026). The Enforcement of Labour Rights in Uganda: A Case Study of Unfair Dismissal and Workplace Discrimination Cases. Metropolitan Journal of Law, 5(10). https://journals.miu.ac.ug/pages/article.php?article_id=1942

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