The past first few months this 2020 have seen a drastic shift in how we carry on our everyday lives and routines, both at home and at work. Since the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak that started in China at the end of 2019, the pandemic has surged and overtaken every global event and routine. Life as we know it, has not been the same.
Several countries and governments have adopted measures to counter and contain the outbreak in a desperate bid to save lives. All these government interventions have turned employment on its head for us and around us, and with little time to adapt, many more questions than answers have been formed. Now more than ever, health practitioners have become our everyday heroes and frontline warriors, production of biomedical prescription of novel viral suppressants growing, government civil servants have taken a step back to fight from home with the stay at home campaign.
However disorienting the experience has been, work has not come to a complete halt. It may have slowed for many of us and as a result, a lot of concerns have been raised about how the employment obligations and relationships are to be governed and regulated in this new era.
In this document this Labour Day, BarefootLaw has taken stock of concerns and employment claims that have arisen and may continue to arise in this unique and unprecedented period of history. With this document, therefore, we hope to share a few insights on how to navigate the muddy waters that are the different conflicting employment interests that will characterise the outbreak of the Coronavirus and its aftermath in Uganda and globally.