KAMPALA – Food supplements network marketing business, GNLD International PTY Limited (NEO LIFE) is entangled in a court case with one of it’s former employees over alleged sexual harassment.
In the case before the Industrial Court at Nakawa, Allen Kankunda is seeking for compensation from the American Network Marketing Company for alleged sexual harassment. She states that all efforts to have the matter resolved at the labour office failed when the company neglected to attend any of the arbitration sessions.
Through her lawyers, the ex-worker contends that while serving in different capacities, she was subjected to sexual harassment at the hands of a senior director of the company and suffering in contravention of the Employment laws of Uganda.
Ms Kankunda alleges that she was subsequently terminated from job on accusations of “gross Misconduct.”
Before termination, she contends that no investigation or hearing on her sexual harassment claim was ever conducted, despite her reporting the matter the human resource director in total contravention of the Sexual Harassment Act.
Ms Kankunda who was charged with processing front office orders, applications and renewals for distributors for the benefit of the company is claiming for Shs150 million for embarrassment, humiliation, stress and inconvenience occasioned to her by all the above transgressions committed by her former employers.
She is accusing the company of unlawful termination and unfair treatment thereby subjecting her to trumped up charges and disciplinary hearing without following the due process of the law.
Court documents also indicate that the is facing three other labour disputes in which former employees are separately seeking for compensation worth hundreds of millions for unpaid overtime, general damages, embarrassment, humiliation, stress and inconvenience occasioned to them, unlawful termination as well as Repatriation fees.
The former workers, Apollo Owino, Allen Kankunda, Brendah Ninsiima and Denis Angulo are seeking for compensation worth hundreds of millions for unpaid overtime, general damages, embarrassment, humiliation, stress and inconvenience occasioned to them, unlawful termination as well as Repatriation fees.
They are separately cases accusing GNLD International PTY Limited before the Industrial Court of failure to fulfill the terms of employment agreements and violating its ethics policy.
Meanwhile, the court has given the parties up to November 13 to find means of amicable settlement of all the disputes.
GNLD which recently re branded to Neo Life is am American Multilevel Company operates in over 10 African countries and had been doing business in Uganda for over 20 years
Similar claims by employees of high handedness and violation of workers’ rights by senior management of the company was reported in a Kenya in July this year.
