By Spy Uganda
Kampala: City based Digida FM workers have moved to sue the popular Ministry of Agriculture Boss Mr. Ssegawa Gyagenda over the 10 months’ salary arrears amounting to Shs103.6m and illegal suspension of over 20 workers.
As we report now, workers are nursing their broken hearts over alleged wrongful dismissal from the station without any clear reason after 10 months without pay.
However according to our insider sources, Due to increment of debts, Mr. Segawa Gyagenda proprietor of the Bukoto based radio station sold it to a new proprietor which left the workers stranded and their contractual rights hugely violated.
Employees could not tolerate this, through their lawyers Kigenyi-Opira &CO Advocates they threatened to handle matters legally after loosing trust from their boss following dismissal of their phone calls when ever they called for an update.
In a demand notice sighted by TheSpy Uganda dated 29th June 2020 presented to Mr. Gyagenda by the workers’ lawyers, employees demand more than 148 million shillings over wrongful dismissal after reporting for work towards the end of March and found the premises fully shut without prior notice.
Demand notice read partially “To our clients’ utter shock and dismay thereof, towards the end of March the year 2020 when they had reported for work, you inexcusably, illegally and in total breach and/or contravention of the laws regulating the employer-employee relationship.”
“Employees were locked outside of their workplace without furnishing any viable and grounded reasons to them, you have up to date failed to honour their rights which are vividly expressed under various legislations of this land,” the notice added.
Due to Segawa’s illicit and unjustifiable behaviours, damages and psychological torture caused to his workers he is being held liable for the unfair termination of their contracts and deliberate refusal to remit their statutory deductions to NSSF.
It should be noted that this is not the first incident, two years ago, Mr Segawa Ronald sold off Best FM to Capital FM Ltd and the presenters were treated in a similar manner of leaving jobs unnoticed and without being paid their arrears.
Among the affected workers included Radio presenters, producers, DJs, programmers, security officers, cashiers, receptionists among other servants under different terms of employment.
Who Is Segawa Ronald?
Segawa Ronald Gyagenda, is an Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.
He is also the Former Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Health.
In 2016 Mr Ronald Segawa Gyagenda at Ministry of Health where he dubbed as the Accounting Officer faced suspension risks over corruption and illegal trading through MM Constructions and Buddu Broadcasting Services radio he co-owned.
