By Peter Kaujju

OVER 200 former employees of the Dairy Corporation have petitioned President Yoweri Museveni over non-payment of their retirement packages.

Elly Tarushokye, the group’s chairman, said they were supposed to get their packages before the end of last year after an out-of- court settlement but they did not.

“We were retrenched from 2002 to 2004. We are being betrayed by the Privatisation Unit. They have not kept us in the picture either. We have contacted several offices including the Inspector General of Government but this has not yielded any positive results,” Tarushokye explained.

Most of the retired employees are above 50 years.

They had dragged the company to the High Court for sh2.7b but went for an out-of-court settlement of sh5.7b.

But Dr. E. Kasirye, the board chairman of the Dairy Corporation, which is now under Sameer Agriculture and Livestock, said in a letter dated January 8 that they were aware of the cases against the company although they were filed before the new board was chosen.

The letter was addressed to privatisation state minister Rukia Chekamondo.

Chekamondo said in a letter to the Special Presidential Assistant/Special Duties dated June 13 that they were waiting for communication from the Attorney General.

“On June 11, members of the Privatisation Unit had a meeting with the former employees and requested them to await communication from the Attorney General. We expect that within two months, there will be a clear way forward,” she wrote.

Chekamondo said the matter was forwarded to the Attorney General early this year on instructions of the President.

Sameer secured a lease to run the Dairy Corporation in 2006.