JUSTICE PARTY
http://www.dfwa-u.tk
Dear Editors
I writing in reply to Patrick Kajuma's article in Masindi which appeared in the monitor of today 16 June 2003-"better wages will help end corruption"
It is useless to peg wages.
Peg life quality to service provisions and basic necessities instead of wages. The fact that prices do not go down should be taken very seriously by all people concerned; National Social Security Fund, (NSSF), Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) unions, co-operatives and government institutions.
Uganda is a very small country economically. High wages will kill off innovation and stimuli to further entrepreneurship among and within society.
Whenever prices go up- there are few hands involved in the productive sectors since high wages implies few productive hands can be employed in productive labour.
Likewise whenever prices tend downwards- there is a collapse in profit generating units- deflation is always accompanied with collapse of productive entities. Capitalist are profit maximisers hence will not produce for peanuts or low their production margins .
To go around the above mathematical problem is guaranteeing that every citizen get a his or her social justice, the solution is not in conspicuous consumption via wage inflation but rather in providing the most basic necessities for a better live quality.
People with equal justice will fight for justice and those perverting justice if they benefit. Likewise they help those who can provide them means and ways to justice- hence corruption.
Therefore ; medicare, education (pre and post primary education) skill's attainment, maternal care, housing and good feeding for all children below 18 years of age can go a long way to solving the problem of corruption in society but also providing society with a better life value than inflating wages beyond what the productive forces can generate.
No wage will ever assure a country of quality life less of those basics.
The above can be attained through two or three ways; (1). through mandatory provision by the state or what is termed as public untilities (2).through mandatory provisions through enterprise i.e., all factories and public entities offering housing, medicare etc. (3). through rebates or tickets from i.e. NSSF, Labour Unions for such provisions deducted from enterprise contriibutions.
It is up to affiliated entities to seek a less costly way. At least Mahdvani and Cuba can afford provisions for their people.
Lastly corruption is not caused by but rather generated by so many factors wages being one of them. Otherwise URA employers will not be corrupt.
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Better wages will help end corruption
Refer to Wages Hinge On Markets (The New Vision, 1 May). The Executive Director of Federation of Uganda employers (FUE) Rosemary Senabulya was quoted as saying that she preferred minimum wages to be determined by market forces. She also said that in one of their meetings with the Ministry of Labour and the Office of the Prime Minister officials, it had been suggested that the minimum wage be at least six figures. We hoped that this suggestion would be implemented this financial year but the budget has been read with no mention of salary increase. So, when does the government intend to motivate its workers to work enthusiastically and limit corruption tendencies? With Uganda ranked seventh corrupt in Africa, concerned leaders should think about implementing the minimum wage proposal because the problem in Uganda seems to be that civil servants lack many life necessities and resort to corruption to make ends meet.
