Mercio Advocates provides a full suite of human resource services aimed at helping businesses find, manage, and retain top talent while streamlining HR operations. Their offerings include personnel outsourcing, which connects companies with carefully vetted professionals for temporary or long-term roles; comprehensive recruitment services that handle everything from drafting job descriptions to conducting interviews; and expert contract drafting to create customized, legally compliant employment agreements that protect business interests. By managing these critical functions with precision and legal expertise, Mercio Advocates enables organizations to focus on their core goals while ensuring their workforce strategies are effective, compliant, and tailored to their specific needs.
The main difference is that an employee’s relationship is created under a “contract of service” while independent contractors are hired under a “contract for services”. A contract of service is one, oral or written, express or implied, where one agrees to work for a employer in return for remuneration. The employer controls the work of the employee by setting working hours and dictating how a particular task should be done.
On the other hand, independent contractors are usually separate entities or individuals hired for a specific task. Independent contractors are usually experts in their fields. They set their own working hours and in order to obtain payment they have to present an invoice contrary to employees who receive a monthly pay.
The normal working hours are generally 48 hours per week, unless otherwise agreed, provided the arrangement complies with the Employment Act.
Summary dismissal is where an employer fires an employee instantly, without notice or with less notice than that to which the employee is entitled.
An employer may dismiss an employee summarily where the employee has, by his or her conduct indicated that he or she has fundamentally breached his or her obligations arising under the contract of service and such dismissal shall be termed as justified. Under common law, circumstances that are considered as justifying summary dismissal include: Serious misconduct (positive, intentional, or willful wrong doing); willful refusal to obey a lawful and reasonable instruction; and incompetence and neglect.
Constructive dismissal is a situation where an employee resigns due to the conduct of an employer. The contract of service is ended by the employee with or without notice, as a consequence of unreasonable conduct on the part of the employer towards the employee.
Yes, but it depends on how long the employee is absent due to illness. The law in Uganda allows an employer to terminate the contract of service of an employee who is absent for more than 2 months.
Only lawful deductions are permitted, such as taxes, NSSF contributions, court-ordered deductions, or deductions authorized by law or agreed upon by the employee.
Yes, an employee who has completed at least six months of continuous service is generally entitled at least 21 working days of paid
Employment disputes may be resolved through:
Mercio Advocates provides its clients with the legal advice that helps employers;