Hoima Referral Hospital Support Staff decry delayed salary payment

HOIMA, UGANDA: Over 50 workers at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital stormed the office of the Hospital Director demanding an explanation for their delayed payment.

The workers who work under Bunyoro Kitara cleaning accommodation service company limited owned by Charles Aheebwa say they have worked for seven months without being paid.

JohnBosco Munangwa one of the workers says he was supposed to get 80000/= per day for cleaning the Covid 19 patients room and worked there for 6 months and he said due to the work he was affected by Covid 19 but up to date he is not yet paid and he is demanding his salary of over 8. 3 million shillings.

“I was working in CTO for Covid 19 patients, I worked for six months and I was supposed to get 80000/= per day but I was not paid, when we demand our salary they tell us to wait, we went to the RCC to get help and he told us he is going to talk to the hospital director but since then when we contact the RCC he tells us that he wrote to the director in May but the director is yet to respond and currently am demanding the company over 8.3 million shillings”. Munangwa said.

Munangwa is not only the worker demanding the company but also other workers demanding the Bunyoro Kitara cleaning and Fumigation service limited their salary for seven months.

“We have spent seven months working without pay, we eat and drink using our money but now we have been patient enough, we need our salary since it’s Christmas time and the contractor is at large and we heard some rummers that he is going to slaughter for us a cow, are we going to use cow meat to pay rent”. Said the angry workers.

Meanwhile, Joseph Ruyonga the Hoima West Division Legislator says that the hospital administration paid the contractor last week over 30 million shillings but he is shocked by his failure to pay workers up to date.

“We have realized that these workers have spent 7 months without pay, the children and families to look after moreover the Hospital paid him last week 30 million shillings so we are requesting you contractor Aheebwa to pay these workers as soon as possible before the engagement of law enforcement team”. Dr. Ruyonga said.