Abbavater staff battle over unpaid salaries

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Abbavater, the agency managing public relations and communication for Uganda Airlines has been accused of nonpayment of staff despite constant appeals.

Abbavater has been Uganda Airlines brand and communications agency since April 2019, when the airline was officially launched and brought in the first two planes. But the company’s employees have not been paid for the month of February and March.

The staff who reached out to URN said their attempts to contact management have been met with cold feet as the company has failed to meet its part of the bargain as outlined in their work contracts. They told us anonymously that management has stopped responding to staff communications on email and the work WhatsApp group.

Mark Odeke, the Abbavater CEO said they had not paid staff – nine in number – because their client Uganda Airlines has not paid them since January.

The claim that the agency has not been paid has been rebuffed by the airline with its management telling us the agency has been paid all its dues. The acting CEO of Uganda Airlines Cornwell Muleya told URN that Abbavater’s story is known.

“Abbavater was paid by the airline and they misused the money and did not pay either the employees or the service providers,” he said.

Odeke said their contract with the airline is running until July 2020. However, Uganda Airlines has called for bids for a new marketing and brand agency an indicator the national carrier could be parting ways with Abbavater. Information submitted to Public Procurement Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA), Abbavater does not name its owners.

It shows it does right everything – from public relations and communication, electrical, plumbing and other construction installation activities, civil engineering, construction of buildings & carpentry, construction of roads and bridges, construction of water projects, and mechanical works.

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