A secondary school teacher has sued his school for failing to remit his monthly contributions to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).
Louis Habarugaba claims that since he was employed by St. Henry’s Girls’ Secondary School Buyege (Buyege SS) from 2010 up to 2015, when he was “unfairly” dismissed, no remittances were forwarded to NSSF from his salary. Habarugaba claims more than UGX eleven million with other additions that accrued from his salary.
However, the Head teacher of Buyege SS, Catholic Sister Proscovia Nansikombi, responds that Habarugaba was not a “registered member” of NSSF and thus no deductions were made from his salary. Yet, Habarugaba claims membership of the NSSF, which is mandatory for any employee of “recognized” institutions.
In a lengthy suit filed in the Industrial Court, Habarugaba’ lawyers, Kasumba, Kugonza and Company Advocates, say that even from the time he was employed in 2014, Buyege SS did not make efforts to remit his contributions to the NSSF.
Arising out of this and other incidences involving Habarugaba, bad blood developed between the Head teacher, the Board of Governors and Habarugaba over his tenancy in the school. For instance, Nansikombi took issue with Habarugaba resisting adding another subject, Entrepreneurship, to his actual subjects, Economics and Mathematics, for which he had been hired.
Habarugaba’s insistence was that he had not studied Entrepreneurship at university.
Habarugaba also clashed with Nansikombi over a loan the school has underwritten for him at the Centenary Rural Development Bank. Eventually this was settled when regular deductions from his salary to the bank were resumed.
