Platform for Labour Action

Platform for Labour Action (PLA) is a registered NGO founded in 2000 by three women lawyers to promote and protect the rights of vulnerable and marginalized workers in Uganda.

Vision: A society where economic rights and social justice are respected and upheld.

Mission: Promoting and protecting the rights of vulnerable workers through community and individual empowerment.

PLA has implemented strategic plans and partnered with leading agencies including the ILO, EU, Norad, Global Fund to End Modern Slavery, AJWS, Terre des Hommes Netherlands, Action on Poverty UK, and DGF, demonstrating strong accountability and impact. Our reach has expanded from Kampala’s five divisions to 21 districts across Uganda. Our work now spans legal aid, social protection, economic empowerment, and community strengthening. PLA operates three main and three satellite offices.

GOVERNANCE

PLA is overseen by a multidisciplinary Board of nine members. Operations are run by a Secretariat led by the Executive Director, supported by a senior management team and mid level managers. Policies guiding work include HR, finance/procurement, child protection, and safeguarding.

WHO WE SERVE

Primary beneficiaries:

• Children in or at risk of exploitative labour.

• Vulnerable informal sector workers (women, youth, domestic workers, market vendors, plantation workers).

• Low income earners earning below UGX 600,000/month.

Key stakeholders: Parents/guardians, media, businesses, local governments, ministries, judiciary, and law enforcement agencies.

PROGRAM PILLARS

1. Prevention & Rights Awareness: Builds knowledge of rights and responsibilities, enabling early reporting and norm change.

2. Legal Aid & Access to Justice: Mobile clinics, paralegals, mediation, and litigation support workers to secure remedies.

3. Economic Empowerment: Enhances livelihoods, reintegration for children/youth, and household resilience.

4. Movement Building: Organises workers into associations to advocate, negotiate, and influence policy.

5. Institutional Strengthening: Invests in systems, staff, assets, and sustainable services.

KEY PROGRAM AREAS

Child Protection

PLA implements comprehensive child protection addressing exploitation in domestic work, agriculture, conflict affected areas, trafficking, and urban sectors. Interventions include:

• Prevention, rescue, withdrawal, rehabilitation, and reintegration.

• Education support: scholastic materials, school feeding, hygiene supplies, school fees.

• Child participation and life skills development.

• Household strengthening through livelihoods, entrepreneurship, and Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs).

PLA’s integrated model combines education, skills development, and livelihoods support for sustainable transformation.

Legal Aid Program

PLA empowers children, youth, women, and low income earners by:

• Providing legal assistance and rights awareness.

• Offering entrepreneurship/savings training for clients recovering compensation.

• Training volunteers to deliver basic legal support and referrals.

• Supporting volunteer sustainability through “legal preneurship.”

• Advocating for improved labour laws, safe labour migration, social protection, and anti GBV interventions.

Research, M&E, and Knowledge Management

• Conducts action oriented research on labour, employment, HIV/AIDS, and domestic work.

• Ensures program effectiveness through monitoring and evaluation.

• Disseminates research and lessons learned.

ACHIEVEMENTS/ IMPACT

Child Protection

• 100,000+ children withdrawn, rescued, rehabilitated, or supported to return to education or vocational training.

• Vocational training & skilling: PLA and its training centre (PLAII), established in 2017, have trained 13,198 youth, with graduates gaining employment in trades such as mechanics, hairdressing, hospitality, and entrepreneurship. Training now includes climate smart and digital innovations.

• Support to primary education: 5,180 children provided with scholastic materials; 2,880 gained vocational/entrepreneurship skills; 10,000+ households supported with livelihood interventions.

• Child rights clubs: Over 100 clubs established using SCREAM methodology.

• Public awareness: Reached 3 million+ individuals nationwide.

• Systemic change: Supported child protection by laws in Iganga and Moroto; sugar and rice supply chains adopted Child Rights & Business Guidelines (2024). In Iganga, Kaliro and Bugiri adoption of self-regulatory guidelines actively taking actions to reduce the use of children in their operations

• Recognized nationally, including the Best of the Best Award in Child Protection.

Legal Aid

• 67,000+ vulnerable workers received legal aid including domestic workers, market vendors, teachers, builders, security guards, and children.

• UGX 4.56 billion+ recovered in unpaid wages, NSSF, medical claims, and compensation.

• 10 million+ Ugandans reached indirectly via media and community campaigns.

• Built strong workers’ movements demanding accountability for labour violations.

• Mobilised child rights advocates and human rights volunteers into 30 community based organizations.

Safe migration

PLA’s campaigns reached thousands, equipping 20,429 people and 7,475 youth with safe migration knowledge, while 386 migrant workers accessed justice and support.

Advocacy

• Promoted business and human rights compliance in sugar and rice supply chains.

• Influenced national policy discussions on ethical recruitment, decent work, and social protection.

• Legislative contributions include:

1. Operationalization of Industrial Court (2014).

2. National Migration Policy (2025).

3. National Employment Policy and Strategy.

4. National Child Labour Policy & implementation plans.

5. Pension reforms and creation of URBRA.

6. Employment (Amendment) Bill.

7. Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act.

8. District ordinances on child protection (e.g., Iganga).

Partnership with Government

PLA maintains strong and strategic partnerships with the Government of Uganda, which recognizes and values its contributions to labour rights, child protection, and social justice. PLA is an active member of several national structures, including the Thematic Area Working Group on Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations under the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD). It also serves on the Technical Working Group to End Sexual Harassment in the World of Work, chaired by MGLSD and co chaired by UN Women. PLA is a member of the National Steering Committee on the Elimination of Child Labour in Uganda and part of the National Institutional Framework for Alliance 8.7 as a member of the National Coordination Committee chaired by MGLSD. Through this platform, PLA contributes to advancing innovative actions against child labour, modern slavery, forced labour, and human trafficking, and supports resource mobilization, accountability, and reporting processes for Alliance 8.7 National Action Groups. Additionally, PLA is the Vice Chairperson of the Social Protection Platform Uganda, an opted member of the National Task Force on Trafficking in Persons coordinated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and a founding member of the Coalition against human trafficking and labour exploitation.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

• Legal Aid: Providing children, youth, women, and low income earners with legal services and rights awareness to help them claim and realize their economic rights.

• Prevention and stopping child exploitation: Withdrawal and rescue of children, followed by rehabilitation and reintegration support.

• Support for vulnerable children: Provision of educational materials and scholastic supplies, school feeding programs, hygiene supplies for girls, and school fee assistance for the most vulnerable.

• Empowering children: Encouraging child participation and agency to combat child abuse and exploitation.

• Strengthening households: Community livelihood and entrepreneurship training for families of supported children to enhance household resilience and income, reducing the need for child labour.

• Household financial inclusion: Mobilizing household heads into Village Saving and Loan Groups to facilitate access to credit.

• Vocational training: Delivery of skills development through the PLAII Training and Skilling Centre and community based hubs.

• Entrepreneurship and savings training: Supporting clients who receive compensation with entrepreneurial and savings skills to ensure recovered funds are used effectively.

• Empowering internal migrants: Educating youth and communities on labour rights, trafficking in persons, modern day slavery, and safe migration; providing legal aid to exploited workers; and advocating for inclusive policies that extend social protection.

• Promoting safe migration abroad: Equipping prospective migrant workers and their families with knowledge on rights, contracts, and potential risks; offering legal aid and psychosocial support to migrants in distress; and supporting returnees with employment linkages, skilling, and entrepreneurship training.

• Strengthening national coordination on migration: Actively participating in the National Coordination Mechanism on Migration, contributing to the National Task Force on Trafficking in Persons, and shaping national responses to migration and trafficking through technical expertise and evidence based engagement.

PLANNED ACTIVITIES

• Continued legal and psychosocial support to women, youth, workers, and children.

• Expanded vocational, business, and life skills training.

• Strengthening of PLA’s training centre and three community based innovation hubs.

• Institutional strengthening, research, and flexible resource mobilisation.

• Development of sustainable, beneficiary led support ecosystems (alumni, legal aid clients, community champions).

• Increased income, dignity, and agency among target groups.