Dismissed workers of Touton Uganda get sh1m in compensation

Twenty-one former employees of Touton Uganda, a private coffee exporter, have each received sh1m (one million shillings) as compensation for their termination over the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) intervened in their plight, bargaining with the company to have them compensated after they got laid off amid the pandemic.

One of the ex-employees, Raphael Ssali, worked at the company for two years. He expressed gratitude for the compensation but still felt the company should have given them at least sh5m for forcefully laying them off.

Besides exporting coffee, the company also deals in cocoa, vanilla, and natural ingredients.

Speaking at the EOC headquarters in Kampala on Wednesday, Ssali said while still at Touton, his contract used to be renewed every six months.

He said that in the future, both parties need to be directly involved in negotiations to achieve a win-win situation as opposed to leaving one party aggrieved.

“Although the matter has been resolved, a very small amount of money has been paid compared to our contribution to the company. If we had directly participated in the negotiations, where our side would be heard by the employers, probably we would have earned more money [as compensation]," he said.

Former employees of Touton Uganda who were forcefully terminated due to Covid 19 pandemic awaiting to receive compesation that was organised through pre-bargain by Equal Opportunity Commission

"We thank the EOC team for their tireless work, which has earned us something better than the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, where we walked office to office until we gave up."

In his remarks, Ssali urged parents to educate their children to be able to read and write, confessing that as employees of Touton, they signed some documents without understanding the details of what they were signing for.

Frank Maka, another former employee of the company, said at the time of their termination, their contracts were still running.

He, too, was not particularly pleased with the amount they had been compensated for, saying at least sh4m would have been a better amount considering the current high cost of living.

Maka claimed that their dismissal was abrupt.

He said he had hoped to start a business if he had been paid termination benefits, but that with the sh1m he received, he cannot do much amid debt obligations to deal with.

Kadidi Okwi, who was also laid off, used to do manual work involving the operation of heavy machines and the loading of coffee bags into stores. He also felt they should have received more money for their contribution to the company.

He said youths should be helped to get jobs because the majority of the population is affected by the high cost of living.