Industrial Court of Uganda

The Industrial Court was established under the Labour Disputes (Arbitration and Settlement) Act, 2006 Cap 224, Laws of Uganda, and section 7.  2006.

The Act was assentenced to on 24th May 2006; and commenced on the 07th August 2006 via a Ministerial statutory instrument.

The Court's jurisdiction ambit are labour disputes referred to it by a party to a dispute where a labour officer has failed to dispose of the dispute within 08 weeks under the court's regulations as requested under the act, disputes referred by the Labour officer at the request of the party or on the officer's own volition when is unable to resolve the dispute; or by responsible Minister on notice of an intended withdrawal of labour within 05 days. Appeals can also be filed against labour officers' decision under the Employment Act. The Court has no original jurisdiction over Labour disputes.

 

Physical address
Plot 25-27, off Martyr's way Ntinda. P.O.Box, 21456 Kampala.
13 judgments
  • Filters
  • Judges
  • Alphabet
Sort by:
13 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
March 2026
Failure to authenticate and disclose a forensic investigation report rendered the dismissal procedurally and substantively unfair.
Employment law – evidentiary standards in labour proceedings – authentication of forensic/investigation reports – disclosure obligation and procedural fairness – employer’s burden to prove misconduct – remedies for unfair dismissal.
9 March 2026
Industrial Court may correct an award omission to order reinstatement without usurping Appointments Board powers.
Labour law – Review and interpretation of Industrial Court awards under section 18 LADASA – omission apparent on face of record – reinstatement as a remedial order – interplay with Appointments Board powers in public universities – reinstatement does not necessarily usurp statutory appointment authority.
4 March 2026
February 2026
Forced leave and failure to reinstate the employee amounted to constructive dismissal; respondent failed to prove abscondment.
Employment law – Constructive dismissal – Employer’s unreasonable conduct (forced leave, failure to reinstate) – Abscondment defence – Procedural fairness – Remedies: notice pay, severance, general damages.
27 February 2026
Review of an Industrial Court award is governed by LADASA's 21‑day limit; late review was time‑barred and dismissed.
Labour law — Review of Industrial Court awards — LADASA s.18(1) — 21‑day time limit for review — generalia specialibus non derogant — application filed six months post‑award is time‑barred.
27 February 2026
Court found public‑service dismissal procedurally and substantively unfair; awarded UGX 21,000,000 damages, 8% interest and costs.
Employment law – public service dismissal – procedural fairness (notice, hearing, minutes) – substantive fairness (burden on employer to prove misconduct) – self‑referral where labour officer fails to act – reinstatement impracticability – enhanced general damages for prolonged unlawful dismissal.
27 February 2026
Court granted a conditional adjournment, criticised the claimant's dilatory 'Stalingrad' tactics and imposed strict timelines and sanctions.
Adjournments — Practice Directions (2019) — adjournments not freely allowed — abuse of process — 'Stalingrad' litigation tactics — Order 17 Rule 4 CPR — Industrial Court concurrent jurisdiction — strict conditional adjournment and sanctions.
25 February 2026
Labour Officer’s acceptance of a late complaint and a prior limitation dismissal do not bar a merits hearing in the Industrial Court.
Labour law — limitation of actions before Labour Officer — Labour Officer's discretion to accept late complaints; limitation period for labour complaints; res judicata — prior dismissal for limitation not a decision on merits; judicial review versus substantive employment claims.
20 February 2026
Court severed argumentative affidavit paragraphs, ordered costs, and granted leave to appeal on questions of fact.
Employment law — Leave to appeal (s.94 Employment Act) — Affidavit rules (Order 19 r.3 CPR) — Severance of argumentative paragraphs — Costs for offending affidavit parts — Mixed fact and law — Leave to appeal granted — Memorandum filed within 7 days.
20 February 2026
January 2026
Section 9 LADASA ousts the ACA; employment arbitration clauses cannot displace Industrial Court jurisdiction.
Labour law – Arbitration – Enforceability of contractual arbitration clauses in employment contracts – Section 9 LADASA excludes the Arbitration and Conciliation Act from Industrial Court proceedings – party autonomy vs statutory protection for employees.
27 January 2026
Dismissal substantively fair; procedural irregularity entitles claimant to four weeks' pay and outstanding salary balance.
Employment law – dismissal – substantive fairness where employee refuses to cooperate with disciplinary process – procedural fairness: failure to issue formal disciplinary hearing invitation – compensation for procedural impropriety (four weeks' pay).
27 January 2026
Acting Registrar acted ultra vires in vacating a garnishee nisi and varying a judge’s conditional stay; garnishee reinstated.
Labour law / execution — Conditional stay of execution — Mandatory bank guarantee covering decretal sum with interest — Breach causes stay to lapse — Garnishee proceedings — Registrar’s jurisdiction; ultra vires variation of judge’s order.
27 January 2026
Mandamus granted to compel the pensions authority to assess and compute pensions; payment enforcement premature pending certificate of order.
Administrative law – mandamus – enforcement of court awards against Government – Government Proceedings Act s.19 certificate of order requirement – Pensions Act duty to compute pensions – jurisdiction to compel assessment versus execution for payment.
23 January 2026
Uncommunicated unilateral variation of retirement age via an HR policy rendered the claimant’s retirement unlawful.
Employment law – constructive renewal of fixed-term contract; retirement age – variation by HR policy; unilateral variation requires notice/consent; authenticity of purported contract; remedies for unlawful termination (notice, severance, general damages) with interest.
9 January 2026