Coca-Cola ordered to pay ex-worker sh51m for unfair dismissal

The Industrial Court has ordered Century Bottling Company Limited (Coca-Cola) to pay sh51.5m to a former forklift operator who challenged his dismissal over allegations that he recklessly operated a forklift and injured a fellow worker.

Asuman Mulindwa, who worked at the company's bottling facility as a forklift operator, challenged his dismissal before the Industrial Court, arguing that his termination was unfair and unlawful.

Presiding Judge Anthony Wabwire Musana, in a judgment delivered on October 13, 2025, ordered Coca-Cola to pay Mulindwa sh37.1m as severance pay, sh10.3m in general damages, sh2m as the outstanding balance of statutory notice pay, and another sh2m as a repatriation allowance.

The court also awarded interest at a rate of 8% on all the monetary awards until payment in full.

"The court enters an award in favour of the claimant. The court finds that the respondent (Century Bottling Company) failed to establish a substantive justification for dismissing the claimant. A declaration is hereby made that the claimant was unlawfully and unfairly dismissed by the respondent," Justice Musana said.

Mulindwa, who worked for Coca-Cola for about 20 years, was dismissed after his employer accused him of recklessly operating a forklift and deliberately injuring a colleague, an allegation he denied.

He was suspended following the incident on March 17, 2022, and later dismissed on April 25, 2022, after an internal disciplinary process. He subsequently took the matter to court, seeking compensation for unfair termination, severance allowance, salary in lieu of notice, terminal benefits and other payments.

The employer denied the allegations of unfair dismissal, maintaining that the worker had participated in a disciplinary hearing, was lawfully dismissed, and had been paid his terminal dues.

The company had maintained that Mulindwa was subject to its human resource manual and disciplinary policies and had been lawfully dismissed after a disciplinary hearing.

According to Coca-Cola, Mulindwa recklessly operated a forklift on March 17, 2022, and intentionally injured a fellow employee. It was further argued that Mulindwa was suspended and subsequently appeared before a disciplinary hearing in which he fully participated before being found guilty and dismissed.

The company had further argued that it had calculated and paid all his terminal benefits upon completion of the clearance process.