In the search of an income, a person will accept any job on offer as long as it will bring bread on the table. For anyone out there who has read Adam Smith’s ‘The Wealth of Nations’, you will agree that this man really is the father of modern Economics.

Adam Smith’s book first published in 1776, explores how nations gained their wealth. He also mentions the role of slavery and the plantation farms the slaves worked. It’s Adam Smith who made the world to realise that a paid slave had greater output than an unpaid one.

Even better, he pointed out how a free person earning for their labour, had even greater output. It’s therefore disheartening to learn that in Rwanda, there are organisations that sack employees on the whim for demanding clarifications on what they feel they deserve.

A case in point is that of the Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS) which sacked six employees working in Gihembe refugee camp on accusations of agitating for their rights. Any employee should have a right annual leave, work contracts and social security, it however doesn’t seem to be the case with JRS.

The way JRS defied the District Labour office advice to follow proper labour procedures could be reflecting an even bigger problem; ignorance of the labour law. This could be a general problem in the country. Probably worse evils are taking place in even the so called well established institutions.

You know, ignorance is no defence, however, in order not to catch institutions flatfooted, they need to be educated on the labour law and where they contravene it, be punished accordingly. Employees, too, need to learn and advocate for their own rights….even when that might get them fired.

Ends