ISO operatives sue gov't over salaries

Gombolola Internal Security Officers (GISOs) have sued the Attorney General in the Industrial Court, demanding that they be paid their salaries, arrears, and other benefits like accumulated leave allowances and gratuity.

The GISOs who number 1,384 say they are employed by government under Internal Security Organisation (ISO) for various periods including some since 1996.

The complainants aver they were duly recruited as GISOs at various times and have todate performed their due obligation under the law and as directed by their superiors.

The applicants say that upon recruitment as government workers, they are entitled to a monthly salary, annual leave and gratuity, and upon retirement, retirement benefits, and on death, death gratuity.

The applicants accuse argue that ISO has failed or refused to pay them salaries, leave allowances and gratuity in spite of the clear demands of the law.

The complaints say they were given motorcycles but ISO doesn’t give them money for repairs, which they say are costly to them, with some motorcycles being grounded.

The GISOs are also bitter that ISO has threatened to dismiss them on account of not being degree holders without paying them first.

The complainants say that failure by ISO to pay them salaries is violation of the law and the Constitution for which they seek damages.

But the Attorney General that represents government in legal suits, in defence, says there is no evidence to show that the complainants are or were employees or were at any time employed by ISO.

He says the complainants failed to observe all the internal mechanism in ISO on solving labour disputes. “Employees did not exhaust the internal mechanisms of ISO in addressing their grievances,” he says in reply.

The Attorney General wants the applicants ’case dismissed with costs, claiming further that it is time barred and abuse of court process.