Threads of Injustice: Fine Spinners Case Exposes Cracks in Uganda’s Labour Protection
Textile Workers - Source; The Independent Uganda
Introduction: Behind Every Garment Is a Worker; And Sometimes a Wound
At the base of Uganda’s textile revival is a promise of industrialisation, jobs, and global competitiveness. Fine Spinners Uganda Ltd, a flagship garment manufacturer located in Kampala, was supposed to be the poster child of ethical sourcing and "Made-in-Africa" pride.
But beneath the glossy branding lies a harsher reality.
In May 2025, the Uganda Textile, Garment, Leather and Allied Workers’ Union (UTGLAWU) petitioned the Ugandan Parliament over alleged labour rights violations at Fine Spinners; a case now shaping national conversations about corporate accountability, union recognition, and gendered workplace violence in Uganda’s garment sector.
Who Is UTGLAWU? A Union on the Frontlines
UTGLAWU, founded in the early 2000s, is a sector-specific trade union that represents workers in Uganda’s textile, garment, leather, and allied industries. It is one of the few unions actively organising in Uganda’s industrial export zones, where violations are common and employer hostility is rife.
The union is a member of the National Organisation of Trade Unions (NOTU) and an affiliate of IndustriALL Global Union, a Geneva-based federation representing over 50 million workers in mining, energy, manufacturing, and garment sectors worldwide. UTGLAWU has gained international recognition for its efforts to unionise vulnerable workers, particularly women, in one of Uganda’s most exploitative sectors.
Its campaign at Fine Spinners; one of Uganda’s largest textile firms, is emblematic of what unions face across Africa: a mixture of legal non-compliance, corporate resistance, and weak enforcement mechanisms.
What Is Happening at Fine Spinners?
Despite UTGLAWU representing more than 50% of Fine Spinners’ workforce, a legal threshold under Uganda’s labour laws for automatic union recognition, the company has reportedly refused to sign a recognition agreement. This denies workers the right to collectively bargain, elect representatives, or challenge their conditions.
Among the complaints listed in the petition submitted to Parliament:
Delayed wages and payments below the national industry average.
Lack of maternity protections and support for women workers, even those engaged in high-risk industrial roles.
Allegations of gender-based violence and sexual harassment, with no internal grievance mechanism.
Punitive workplace culture, including the targeting of union leaders and activists.
These violations strike at the heart of ILO Conventions 87 and 98; on the right to organise and bargain collectively both ratified by Uganda.
Power and Precedent: Why This Case Matters
Fine Spinners is not a back-alley operation. It is backed by international partners, including UK aid programmes and multinational investors, and has previously been cited as a model of ethical manufacturing. Its ties to export-oriented development plans mean that this case carries enormous symbolic weight.
UTGLAWU’s escalation to Parliament signals both the failure of routine labour inspection and the urgency of legislative intervention. It also reflects the growing recognition that gender-based violence in the workplace is not a side issue; it is a structural one, especially in feminised sectors like garment production.
Comparative Struggles: A Continental Pattern
The fight UTGLAWU is waging echoes across Africa. In Lesotho, garment workers in export processing zones successfully negotiated anti-harassment policies after global brands faced international pressure. In Ethiopia, workers at the Hawassa Industrial Park have repeatedly protested poor wages and sexual abuse, with unions calling for better oversight.
Across the continent, African women in manufacturing bear the brunt of exploitation; overworked, underpaid, and often silenced when they speak out.
Yet, they are also organising. From Nigeria’s National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers (NUTGTWN) to South Africa’s Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU), unions are connecting gender justice to workplace dignity.
Conclusion: A Stitch in Time Can Still Save Labour Rights
The petition by UTGLAWU should be a wake-up call to policymakers, investors, and global brands sourcing from Uganda. If Fine Spinners can operate with alleged impunity while receiving international endorsements, what hope exists for the rest of Uganda’s workforce?
But this case is also a reminder that change is possible, if unions are respected, if workers are protected, and if governments take their constitutional duties seriously.
The Ugandan Parliament now has a chance to act not just in defence of a law but in defence of the workers who clothe a continent.
References
IndustriALL Global Union. (2025, May). Union petitions Parliament over workers’ rights violations at Fine Spinners. Link
International Labour Organization. (2023). Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining Conventions. Link
Clean Clothes Campaign. (2024). Gender-Based Violence in Garment Factories: Global Overview.Link