Strengthening collective bargaining and freedom of association to protect workers and eliminate child labour in Uganda’s coffee and tea sectors

Kampala, Uganda (ILO News) - As part of its ongoing support to strengthen workers' rights in Uganda’s agricultural sectors, the ILO through the ACCEL Africa project and ACTRAV, conducted a capacity-building workshop for trade unions on collective bargaining and freedom of association from the 24th to the 26th of March 2025. The event focused on improving trade union organizing and negotiation skills in the coffee and tea value chains, where workers and children are particularly vulnerable to labour rights violations., This event sought to assess progress on the commitments that trade unions did during a precedent training and explore its adaptation to the tea sector.

The workshop focused on:

• Enhancing participants’ skills in organizing and negotiating workplace policies and collective agreements, particularly within the coffee sector and its value chain.
• Building competencies to organize workers in areas where the risk of child labour

This capacity-building effort is part of the ILO’s broader strategy to advance fundamental principles and rights at work, and to support social partners in using collective bargaining as a tool to address issues such as child labour, occupational safety and health, and decent working conditions across Uganda’s agricultural supply chains.

To build on this momentum, a one-day field visit was held on the 28th of March 2025 in Kabarole District. It brought together trade union representatives in the tea sector to observe the production process and understand labour dynamics in the tea sector.

Through active sharing, the meeting sought to:

• Assess the employers and workers’ competencies in organizing and negotiation to expand collective bargaining coverage in the coffee value chain.
• Reinforce their capacities to engage in areas where child labour is prevalent.
• Support the inclusion of clauses on child labour, occupational safety and health, and non-discrimination in collective agreements.

Some companies shared examples of strategies such as:

• Market diversification,
• Ongoing engagement with trade unions, and
• Providing basic needs to workers during periods of financial strain.

The National Union of Plantation and Agricultural Workers of Uganda has continued to play a key role in upholding workers’ rights in the tea sector by negotiating individual collective bargaining agreements with member companies. While the sectoral bargaining agreement was last updated in 2022, the union has maintained communication with workers to explain how changing conditions affect the sector, with the goal of reaching mutual understanding and continuity.

During the meetings, the ILO met with companies in the tea sector, workers’ organizations, and tripartite stakeholders to identify shared priorities and challenges. Discussions cantered on the need to:

• Strengthen sectoral collective bargaining frameworks,
• Improve workplace dialogue mechanisms, and
• Scale up implementation of action plans in both coffee and tea sectors.

To strengthen Uganda’s tea sector, the ILO, through the ACCEL Africa project, aims to enhance the existing sector-wide collective bargaining process by expanding its scope to include child labour and other fundamental rights. The initiative will include capacity building on collective bargaining and freedom of Association, and negotiation skills, while also empowering regional representatives to manage negotiations. It will support policy advocacy and improved service delivery by unions and employers. A training-of-trainers program will address industrial relations and occupational safety and Health, and a dedicated effort will target the elimination of child labour on out grower farms.