Rights at work · 7 min read
Dismissed or terminated in Uganda: notice, hearings and your rights
How the 2026 amendments separate termination from dismissal, the notice you are owed, the hearing before a dismissal, and what to do if you think it was unfair.
Losing a job is hard, and the words in the letter matter. Since the Employment Act was amended in 2026, it separates termination, where a job ends for a reason such as redundancy or the end of a contract, from dismissal, which must rest on grounds the Act lists. This guide explains the notice you are owed, the hearing an employer must hold before dismissing you, and the deadlines for complaining to a labour officer.
Termination and dismissal are now different things
The amended Act lists the situations that count as termination. They include an employer ending the contract with notice, a fixed term or task contract ending without renewal within a week, you leaving because of the employer's unreasonable conduct, redundancy, long term sickness, and cases where keeping you on could lead to a breach of a statutory obligation.
For redundancy, the employer must be able to show that it has ceased business operations, or that your role is no longer needed for reasons such as reorganising work or introducing labour saving devices. Before ending a contract because of sickness, the employer must seek a medical doctor's opinion on your condition.
Dismissal is narrower. The grounds the amended Act lists include absconding from duty, which it defines as being absent without the employer's permission and knowledge for a consecutive period of more than thirty days; presenting forged documents or not having the required qualifications when you were recruited; conduct inside or outside work that may have an adverse effect on the employer's business; and any other ground set out in your contract.
How much notice you are owed
Except in a summary dismissal and the other cases the Act sets out, your employer must give you notice in writing, in a form and language you can be expected to understand. The minimum depends on how long you have worked there:
- More than six months but less than one year of service: at least two weeks.
- More than twelve months but less than five years: at least one month.
- Five years but less than ten years: at least two months.
- Ten years or more: at least three months.
If you are paid by a period longer than your notice, for example monthly when you are owed two weeks, you are entitled to notice equal to that pay period. The same minimum periods apply when an employee gives notice to resign.
You may accept payment instead of notice. Annual leave you have not taken is not counted as part of your notice, and during the notice period you must be given at least half a day off each week to look for a new job.
The hearing before a dismissal
Before deciding to dismiss you, your employer must explain why it is considering dismissal, in a language you can be expected to understand, and you may have a person of your choice present during that explanation. The employer must then hear and consider what you and that person have to say, and since the 2026 amendment it must give you five working days to prepare. The disciplinary code in Schedule 2 of the Act also expects an employee to be able to answer the allegations. Ask for the allegations in writing, use the preparation time, and bring documents and witnesses that support your side.
An employer that does not follow this procedure is liable to pay you a sum equal to four weeks of net pay, whether or not the dismissal itself was justified. A complaint about a missing hearing must be made within three months after the date of dismissal.
The hearing rule does not apply when a dismissal ends a probationary contract.
Summary dismissal
Summary dismissal means being dismissed without notice, or with less notice than you are entitled to. The Act allows it where your conduct is a fundamental breach of your obligations under the contract, and an employee summarily dismissed in that situation cannot claim payment in lieu of notice.
If you believe a summary dismissal was not justified, you can complain to a labour officer within six months after the date of dismissal. If the officer agrees with you, the employer can be ordered to pay, among other things, the net wages you would have earned during the notice you should have received.
Unfair and wrongful dismissal
The amended Act names two kinds of improper dismissal. A dismissal is unfair when the employer dismisses for a reason other than the grounds the Act allows. It is wrongful when the employer has not fulfilled its obligations while dismissing you. In a claim, the employer must give the reasons for the dismissal, and if it fails to, the dismissal is treated as wrongful.
Some reasons can never justify a dismissal or a disciplinary penalty. They include:
- A female employee's pregnancy.
- Taking, or planning to take, leave you are entitled to under the law or your contract.
- Joining or planning to join a labour union, or acting as a union officer.
- Your race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction, nationality, social origin, marital status, HIV status or disability.
- Starting or planning to start a complaint or legal action against your employer, unless a labour officer finds it wholly irresponsible and without foundation.
- A temporary absence from work of up to three months on reliable grounds, such as illness or injury.
Complaining and what you can win
A complaint about a dismissal goes to a labour officer within three months of the date of dismissal, or later if you can show that a later date is just and equitable. You may be represented by an advocate, or assisted or represented by a labour union official.
If the complaint succeeds, the employer can be ordered to reinstate or re-employ you, or to pay compensation. Compensation for unfair dismissal always includes a basic award of eight weeks of wages, up from four weeks before the 2026 amendment. The labour officer may add between one and three months of wages, taking into account factors such as any compensation the employer has already paid you.
Group redundancies have an extra rule. An employer that intends to terminate ten or more employees over a period of no more than three months must notify the Commissioner for labour in writing, with the reasons, thirty days before the terminations, and must inform the labour union that represents the employees, if there is one.
What to do in the first week
- Ask for the termination or dismissal letter and the reasons in writing.
- Ask for a certificate of service. Your employer must give one on request, and if you ask, it must state the reason for the termination.
- Check that your final pay arrives within seven days of your last day.
- Write down dates, names and what was said at each meeting, and keep copies of your contract, payslips and messages.
- Note the deadlines: three months for an unfair dismissal or a missing hearing, six months for an unjustified summary dismissal.
Sources and further reading
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Frequently asked questions
Can my employer dismiss me without a hearing?
Not lawfully, unless the dismissal ends a probationary contract. Before deciding to dismiss you, the employer must hear and consider your side. If it does not, the Act makes it liable to pay you four weeks of net pay on top of any other award.
I was told to go home today with no notice. Is that allowed?
Only if your conduct was a fundamental breach of your obligations under the contract. Otherwise you are owed written notice or payment in lieu. If you think the summary dismissal was not justified, complain to a labour officer within six months.
How long do I have to complain about unfair dismissal?
Three months from the date of dismissal, or a later period if you can show that it is just and equitable. Do not wait: evidence is easier to gather early.
Can I be dismissed for being pregnant?
No. The amended Act lists a female employee's pregnancy among the reasons that cannot justify a dismissal or a disciplinary penalty.
What compensation can I get for unfair dismissal?
A basic award of eight weeks of wages in every case, plus additional compensation of between one and three months of wages at the labour officer's discretion. The employer can instead be ordered to reinstate or re-employ you.