MTN Uganda sends more than 100 employees packing including top bosses

By Watchdog reporter

Leading Telecommunication Company in Uganda MTN has dismissed 109 employees especially the long serving ‘top guns’ in the firm.

It is alleged that move is aimed at reducing payment costs incurred by the company since the long serving top officials have been getting huge salaries.

According to an online media Techjaja, when the new CEO Win Vanhelleputte  took office last year, he took time off to talk to a majority of mid-level managers, supervisors and several employees to inquire about what they felt about the company and how they can reverse the declining state of the company.

There was over whelming response from the employees among other things, who complained that several top managers had stayed in the same positions for over 15 years leaving no room for growth, which has led to low motivation and less room for career advancement for them. The CEO reportedly directed the GM Human Resource to look into the matter and how it could be resolved putting the company’s goals in mind.

MTN confirmed the layoffs and it called it “Voluntary departure programme” that all employees were aware of and that the voluntary exit was demanded by the long-serving employees who expressed to move on from MTN and give desire to their personal lives. The Official statement went on further to state that “Only permanent staff who have been in employment with the company for over 12 years were eligible to benefit from the plan. They were given the opportunity to express their interest not later than 12 January “.