KAMPALA — Sanyu FM long-serving worker Ms. Betsy Mugamba who reportedly led a strike in June this year has been fired by radio proprietor tycoon Sudhir Ruparelia.
Ms. Mugamba, who has been Chief Operations Officer, learned of her termination on Monday October 26 after audio leaks linked her to have masterminded the strike over salary cuts
In an audio clip, Ms. Mugamba is being heard telling junior staff that:
“I don’t think we need to punish the advertiser; the owners have to be punished because they are the ones who touched your money”.
“On our strike, there is an example you gave us, like if you are to kill someone, you cut like one finger …” one of the staff heard telling Betsy.
Several workers who were sacked by their managers had blamed their line boss Mugamba for being responsible for the strike that led to their dismissal.
Josephine Katabarwa, a co-presenter on the morning breakfast show on the station told reporters in June that Mugamba told her to sign the document if she was not satisfied with the pay cuts.
Ms Betsy Mugamba told her to sign the document if she was not satisfied with the pay cuts.
She said that to her dismay, she received a termination letter from the very person who had asked them to sign the strike letter.
“I learnt from my friend that our salaries have been cut. Ms Mugamba called me in her office and asked me if I was satisfied with the pay cut and I told her that I was not .She then told me to sign the letter which I did because other people had also signed. The next thing I heard was that I had been fired,” Ms Katabarwa said.
Sanyu FM staff had laid down their tools in the standoff which made their employment, Tycoon Sudhir Ruparelia, untenable which forced Sudhir to reveal that “new blood” would slot in and fill the void.
