Uganda Journalists Union

PRESS RELEASE
KAMPALA TUESDAY NOVEMBER19 2013

LUCY EKADU
President

STEPHEN OUMA BWIRE

General Secretary

MERCY NALUGO
Treasure

UGANDAS WBS TELEVISION SACKS 60 JOURNALISTS AND MEDIA WORKERS

A Kampala based Television Channel Wavah Broadcasting Services (WBS) has sacked 60 workers who include journalists and media workers in a major exercise that management says is aimed at cost - cutting. Uganda Journalists Union (UJU) has learnt that among the top staff sacked is the WBS TV Managing Director Ms Lydia Ndagire. Well placed sources confirmed WBS Management wants to retrench staff at the Naguru - based television from the current workforce of 140 countrywide to about 80 staff. This major shakeup has also affected programming with some programs scrapped off the TV schedule, and program Producers relieved of their duties. The development culminated in experienced and senior journalists to resign. News Anchor Diana Kagere Mugerwa tendered in her resignation letter over the weekend as well as Mukitale Moses, Nuliat Nambazira and Harriet Namuksa, among others. The atmosphere today tense as journalists and other media workers were in a somber state, and perplexed after a gatekeeper operating under instructions from above denied them access to the premises. All workers on the company black list were ordered to hand in their company identification cards. But surprising none of the sacked workers has received any termination letter and they are still owed October salaries. Uganda Journalists Union (UJU) President Ms Lucy Anyango Ekadu condemned WBS management for sacking workers without giving them notice in lie of termination of their services. . She said management violated workers rights, and in particular the Uganda Employment Act Section 78, subsection (e) which provides for the right of the worker to press for any unpaid wages, expenses or other claims owing to the employee. The WBS management should have given workers a 30 days notice in lie of the termination, and should have cleared workers salary arrears, she said. WBS management has called all sacked workers for an emergency meeting slated for Friday, November22, 2013 to discuss how they would be paid salary arrears.. Yours sincerely Stephen Ouma Bwire GENERAL SECRETARY Tel/Mobile:+256 752643296, +256 - 702643296 Email: stephen.ouma5@gmail.com, Website: www.ugandajournalistsunion.com

Advocates for Press Freedom, Labour Rights and Democracy Plot 37/39 First Floor Hotel Equatorial Arcade, Office no. 386 Kampala, P. O. Box 26650 Kampala, Tel +256 752 643296, +256 772 565847. +256 712 934069, Fax: +256 414 345580, e-mail: ugandajournalistunion@gmail.com, oumastephen@hotmail.com, lucyekadu@gmail.com, nalugomercy@gmail.com