I'm fired, what the hell now?

August 19, 2005 10:54 PM

Yesterday, I got fired from my job. I'm a Canadian living in Uganda, and I have (had) a job working full time as a consultant (marketing and business strategy) for a Ugandan manufacturing company. Officially i'm fired for 'non performance', in reality i'm fired for 'talking back' and being 'disrespectful'.

It's a family owned company, and I was originally hired by Boss Brother A, who was very enthusiastic about the existence of my position. He's lived in the UK for 25 years, and is eager to move his family's business practices into the 21st century. Then, Boss A moved back to London, and I'm left reporting (sort of) to Boss Brother B, a man who has spent his whole life in Uganda and has gained a very powerful position in the country's business community. He thinks the very existence of my job is an insult to the family (I re-shaped a lot of their biz strategy, he's pissed about 'an outsider telling us what to do'.) Between his 'powerfulness' and the local culture, he's used to being able to scream at people and they just take it.

I didn't just take it, and when i defended myself against his outrageous lies and accusations (he does this to everybody) I was accused of being disrespectful and rude, etc. Now I'm fired (ostensibly for non-performance, but the items that 'justify' that cause are laughably refutable.)

So finally, the question(s): 1)What the hell can i do? At home this would be totally illegal, but without legal recourse, do i have any recourse at all? 2)How do i play this off at home? I'm counting on no one ever checking a ugandan job reference, do you think this is realistic? 3)My contract was up in mid-november, I'm tempted to lie to everyone at home and just pretend i'm still working, any reason i couldn't pull this off? 4)They owe me massive amounts of back-pay, any advice on making sure i get it? (Again, keep in mind there's no legal structure in place to help me.) Thanks.

posted by Kololo to work & money (11 comments total)

I'm guessing that the Canadian representative to Uganda is out of the question. Is it? Is it worth a shot? I would also call Brother A and put the cards on the table. Is this how he wants his company's reputation to spread back to the rest of the world? This is some kind of trade organization between Uganda and Canada. Contact them to see if they have any ideas or contacts.
posted by fionab at 11:15 PM on August 19, 2005

Fionab, good suggestion, that was my first instinct as well. I have an appointment with the Canadian honourary consul (who is, randomly, Scottish) for monday afternoon. Problem is, he has quite the reputation for uselessness. But still, you never know. I'll contact the org you linked to too, thanks for the tip.

I would love to get in touch with Brother A - problem is, I don't have his contact information for the UK.

Also, i should note that another one of my bosses is british (he and i are the only the two expats in the company), he's also quite a supporter of me, and I was fired the day after he left for a month long vacation at home. I'm not sure its a coincidence. (He won't be back until its too late to do anything about it, i also don't know how to get in touch with him there.)
posted by Kololo at 11:31 PM on August 19, 2005

My guess is even if very proactive the Trade Rep won't be able to help you. After all, this is a private business matter, not an issue between the two Sovereigns.

But if you decide to slime the company make sure that you don't do it while in Uganda.

I've never been there but I do spend a lot of time in Lagos, Nigeria on biz, and shit happens there. Scary shit. Money can solve pretty much any problem in that part of the world, and if you make enough noise you'll be a problem.

I hope this turns out ok for you - take care!
posted by Mutant at 12:47 AM on August 20, 2005

You should try what ever you can to contact the Boss A or the british boss ASAP. Tell them what has happened... but Boss A .. since he is a family member won't be able to help you...(family do stick together.) The British boss would have hard time helping you since his job may also be in jepardy... And if he is in good with you.. you shouldn't expect him to put his job on the line...

However, You can ask the British boss, since he is also your management, should be able to write a good recommendation letter or some kind .. and not mention about the firing. You take the letter... go to what ever other company you want to work for either in Canada or what ever the country, and give them the letter and the British boss's contact info. Do not mention anything about the firing. I don't think it is required. There is an ethical line that you have to balance. But If you are true to yourself and the situation, then don't worry about it and tell the new boss that you just wanted to work in a new environment.
posted by curiousleo at 12:49 AM on August 20, 2005

1) Even if you were living in a jurisdiction with the best facilities for labour protection (such as Western Europe), pressing a case against your employer should only be done out of principle rather than with the expectation of seeking expedient redress, because if for the latter then you will invariably left disappointed.

2) Uganda is just a telephone call away. If a potential employer is in the habit of checking references (though, for better or worse, many do not), I don't see why they wouldn't check your Ugandan ones. Nothing you can do about it, you'll just have to take your chances and pound the pavement until you catch a break.

3) Do not lie. You will be caught, sooner or later, and then you'll have less integrity than your nemesis. If you're indifferent to the principle of honesty, realize that it has utilitarian value too.

4) What is your concept of "massive" back-pay? If it's less than a year's salary, it is probably not worth the bother unless you want to pursue it on principle. Without the requisite legal apparatus, you're going to need friends in high places or friends in very low places to achieve your ends...is it really worth the effort necessary to cultivate these friends?

My sympathies for your situation, it sounds like you really got a raw deal. I cannot accurately assess how much this is worth pursuing, but you may want to consider just letting go and moving on. Some things just can't be fixed.
posted by randomstriker at 12:55 AM on August 20, 2005

Does the British boss on holiday have an email addi? Perhaps he will check it despite being on holiday. Otherwise perhaps when you're able to contact them, they will agree to be your reference should a future employer want a contact and if you think it will float, see how they feel about confirming that you remain employed until November. (And also ask them if they have contact details for the good brother).

And just on the 'first principles' basis, have you directly asked bad boss about the pay? Or were you summarily 'kicked out' of the place for good, end of story? If you're still able to communicate with the guy at all, even if you have to hold back from your normal dissent, exploit any residual relationship to shore up the money. I guess this is unlikely, from your story, but I thought I'd toss the bleeding obvious in anyway.
posted by peacay at 1:29 AM on August 20, 2005

Peacay, I'm actually still at the office until the end of the month. Despite my supposed 'non performance' they do seem to realise that all the work i'm doing will go down the drain if i don't transition to one of my co-workers. (yes, irony.) So, i can ask for the money, its just that there's not a lot of good will right now.

Randomstriker, they owe me about 4 months salary; considering I'm supposed to be paid monthly that's a fairly outrageous situation. I'm fairly willing to move on from the job, but not the money - one of the reasons i'm working here is because of the low cost of living and how much I could save.
posted by Kololo at 1:42 AM on August 20, 2005

Just kind of an off-the-wall idea, but if you're looking for new options for low cost of living and saving money, think about China. I mean, these guys are scrambling for contacts in Africa right now, and if you could scare up something lucrative here, I think you might be able to use some informal leverage (a big contract, new company position, new market, etc.). If you had a great contact or something you could bring it to boss A or British guy and say "look, you see what I can do for your company? Why are you treating me like this?"

It's also just a great place to come and work and save money. I dunno. The business market is really the same here, and it's all informal and moves in stops and starts and comes together at the last minute. It's nothing shady or anything, it's just that procedure isn't a big thing in these parts either.

If you want to talk (I myself am partially in the business of forming these kinds of connections; it's something to do and they practically find me) we might could talk. Email's in my profile. No pressure, it's just there, as an option for something or another (what that something is usually comes together at the last minute too). That's all I'm sayin'.
posted by saysthis at 3:05 AM on August 20, 2005

Ok, I can't believe you can't contact the good guys, at least the British ones anyway. It's the 21st century, you must know a telephone number, a name, or an address, you can find them with those and get in touch. Even if they are very reclusive, consider a PI if you can afford to hire one within the pay you are owed...but I can't believe google won't do it.

As for the references, just give them the contact info for the bosses that liked you, it seems there are a few. Even if you can't find direct contact for them now just write on the resume to ask for "good guy" at "uganda company." (using the normal company contact info of course)
posted by furiousxgeorge at 3:53 AM on August 20, 2005

First, let me say this sucks and you have my sympathies.

1) What kind of personal relationships have you developed in the community? Are there people who might influence him on your behalf, particularly from within the family?

2) Adding to randomstriker's and furiousxgeorge's excellent advice, I'd say don't worry about it too much. If how the job ended comes up in an interview, you can probably count on Canadian assumptions about African corruption etc. to lend extra weight to your explanation. You can play up the most stereotypical aspects of the situation in order to encourage this: you were fired when a brother with "traditional" ideas took over the company and decided he didn't want advice from a "modern" woman and an outsider to boot. You could probably actually play this to your advantage on one of those "tell me about a problem you had at work and how you handled it" questions, since you are doing them the extreme favour of training a replacement after they fire you. I think most Canadian employers will be quite sympathetic to the thought of a young woman so far away from home in adverse circumstances (again with the stereotypes, but people have to make quick decisions about other people as interviewer so they may rely on them more than normal--use them to your advantage). You can turn this into a story of adventure and triumph over adversary (also noting here that the interview process can be really boring, so some good stories can help you stand out).

3) I don't understand what you are asking. Why does it matter when your contract ended? Who is "everyone"? What are the pros and cons to this as you see them?

4) You could refuse to do any more work transitioning until you are paid. Seems fair. I wouldn't work an extra month for no pay, and since they are already four months behind, you have no guarantees. Of course, you may want to approach the situation carefully. Again, what are your community contacts? Is there some close person who could advise you on how this situation might play out and what your options are?

Could you try the British version of directory assistance to get in touch with Brother A? If he's listed, he should be pretty easy to find. If not, why not contact the Ugandan High Commission in London to see if he registered his contact info with them. I would suggest letting him know about the situation in as neutral terms as possible, along with saying that you don't harbour bad feelings towards the company (or something like that), and your main concerns are getting paid and making sure that everything transitions smoothly to your replacement (something for you, something for him).
posted by carmen at 4:50 AM on August 20, 2005

Get your money NOW, don't do a thing for them until they pay. Don't release code words, files or property until you have your money. Tell them you want to be paid up front for the remainder of your time there.

If you budge an inch about getting your money, they will never pay it to you. Make sure you deposit it in an account that is completely unrelated to any direct deposits and cash the check at the issuing bank.

The reason you haven't been paid for the last four months is because he doesn't plan on paying you, ever. If you are still working there and can control the project you still have leverage. As soon as the leverage is gone, your money is gone.
posted by 517 at 1:48 PM on August 20, 2005