NOTU WRANGLES: Owere's court win faces challenges

By Our Correspondent

The ruling by the Uganda
High court in Kampala of
July 7, 2023 that embattled
National Organisation of Trade
Unions (NOTU) Chairman General
Mr Usher Wilson Owere was
illegally removed from office by
the federation’s General Council of
November 22, 2022, could become
inconsequential.

NOTU leaders appealed but the
term of the NOTU Executive Board
expires in December 2023 which could
put Owere;s position in jeopardy. If
the Court of Appeal does not dispose
of the case before December this
year then NOTU affiliates will hold
their QDC and render the case in
court time – barred.

This would be more misery for Mr Owere who lost
the ATGWU Chairperson’s position.
As things stand now the suspended
NOTU Chairman General is in a
precarious position as he lacks his
union’s mandate to vie for NOTU
leadership. Source within ATGWU
say his name would not even appear
on the delegates’ list to the December
2023 NOTU QDC.

NOTU leaders that included former
NOTU WRANGLES: Owere’s court
win faces challenges
Secretary General Hon. Peter Werikhe
Christopher and Vice Chairman
General Hon. Stephen Mugole
presided over the controversial
November 22, 2022 General Council
that unanimously passed a vote of no
confidence in Usher Wilson Owere.

NOTU affiliates accused Owere
of dictatorship and turning NOTU
into personal property, failure to
conduct meetings properly, abuse of
powers and violating the federation’s
constitution by declaring himself
titular head of NOTU.
Enragd and disgruntled Usher
Owere sought legal redress through
Peter Okello Jabweli of Okua and
Company advocates in bid to reverse
his sacking and declare the General
Council meetings that suspended
him null and void.

In his ruling Justice Musa Ssekaaana
declared that the November 15, 2022
General Council was illegal as it
was convened by Acting Secretary
General Mr Tom Amiti who had no
mandate to convene NOTU meetings.
He ruled that all the outcomes of
the General Council meetings which
resolved to sack Owere and appoint
officials in acting capacities are null
and void.

Justice Ssekaana also ruled that
the consultative meeting convened
by Gender, Labour and Social
Development Minister Hon. Betty
Amongi on January 9, 2023 that
recognized the new leadership was
illegitimate and inconsequential.
A declaration doth issue that the
purported removal of the applicant
from the office of NOTU Chairman
General was unfair, unjust, malicious,
irrational and illegal , and all together
contravenes the principle of a fair
hearing and natural justice,” he
declared.

But National Organisation of Trade
Unions (NOTU) Acting Secretary
General Mr Richard Bigirwa told the
Workers Eye that after filing their
appeal they would wait for the
ruling to be delivered.
He said NOTU affiliates have and
continue to waste alot of time after
suffering much from the Covid – 19
pandemic. ” We thought we could
resettle and organise ourselves but
instead we have been embroiled in
endless wrangles spearheaded by
Usher Wilson Owere”, he said.

Mr Bigirwa said NOTU affiliates
have been duped, sabotaged and
taken for granted by Usher Wilson
Owere who thinks the federation
cannot exist without him…
He said: “NOTU affiliates have
been fooled and provoked for long
and have now resolved to throw out
Owere once and for all.”
Affiliates have vowed that Usher
Owere should only pray for getting
some money if he wins the appeal but
they are determined to vote him out
of NOTU in disgrace and with all the
contempt he deserves.

They said Usher Owere is part
and parcel of retrogressive elements
in NOTU that have mismanaged the
federation and is still determined to
remain in office against the wishes of
affiliates■

ATGWU Delegates attending their 9th QDC at Innophine Hotel Entebbe