President Yoweri Museveni is on Monday, July 4, 2022, expected to meet the leaders of the Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU) in a bid to resolve the current stalemate over the teachers’ strike.
UNATU General Secretary Filbert Baguma on Sunday said the meeting is expected to take place in the morning hours at State House Entebbe.
“All we expect is feedback on our issue of salary enhancement in the 2022/2023 financial year,” Mr Baguma said, adding: “The venue is not yet confirmed but we are meeting him at 11am.”
This came after 250 UNATU executive council members and regional leaders held an emergency meeting in Kampala and resolved to continue their strike over what they called persistent threats by the government.
Buguma said what the teachers want is in increment this financial year.
“No going back before receiving money,” he said.
This comes after Vice President Jessica Alupo last Wednesday met the teachers and failed to convince them to call off their strike that has now gone into the third week.
The arts teachers are protesting over what they described as discriminatory salary increase and government increased the pay for science teachers.
On June 30, Public Service Minister Mr Wilson Muruli Mukasa wrote to Unatu leadership and appealed to them to go back and teach since government was committed to enhancing salaries for all public servants but in a phased manner.
“My fellow teachers, go back and teach. The President and the top leadership of the country has considered enhancement of the scientists in financial year, 2022/2023. Enhancement of all the teachers and other employees in the public service shall be included in the medium and long run as resources become available through further expansion of sectors like Agriculture, services, I CT and Industry,” Mr Muruli said.
But this was ignored by the teachers.
In this financial year, the salary for a degree-holder science teacher will increase to Shs4 million, up from Shs1.2 million, while a diploma-holder science teacher will earn Shs3m, slightly triple the current pay.
Meanwhile, the monthly salary of an Arts teacher will remain at Shs 1,080,000 while diploma-holder counterparts teaching at secondary schools will get Shs795,000.
Primary school Sciences and Arts teachers, on the other hand, earn about a monthly salary of Shs 560,000 before tax.
