Teachers under their umbrella association Uganda National Teachers Union-UNATU have today started a national teachers’ strike to protest government delay to increase their salaries as earlier promised.
The teachers gave government a 90-day ultimatum to address their issue of salary enhancement before the schools open for second term threatening to lay down their tools.
In a joint press briefing held by leaders of various Workers’ Unions at Ntinda on Sunday, Philbert Baguma, the General Secretary for UNATU, said the 90-day ultimatum they gave to government has elapsed.
“Government has continued to take our demands for granted,” said Baguma.
“If members of Parliament can seek an increment of their salaries on conditions that the cost of living in the country today is very high, what about teachers who earn little?” wondered Baguma.
While presenting the ministry’s achievements in the past three years at the Prime Minister’s office on Monday, Education minister Janet Museveni acknowledged that salaries for primary school teachers had not been increased for three consecutive years.
“There has been no salary enhancement for primary school teachers in the last three years because increment prior to Financial Year 2016/17 put them above the pay targets in the pay policy approved by Cabinet,” Ms Museveni said.
She said the monthly salary for Grade III teachers had increased from Shs280,000 to Shs469,355.
In February, Mr. Baguma, said only the head of Public Service, Mr John Mitala, permanent secretaries for Public Service and the Ministry of Labour had signed the agreement while the Solicitor General, Secretary to the Treasury and Permanent secretary of Local Government hadn’t appended their signatures on the agreement.
“To our dismay, some government representatives have neither signed nor given reasons for not signing, an act that frustrates the negotiation process. This breach of trust shows that government officials not only lack respect for government institutions but also lack genuine concern for service delivery, status of education, the teachers, learners and parents,” Mr Baguma said.
“We have exhausted all avenues of negotiation since the beginning of 2018 but some government officials have deliberately frustrated the process. As a result, the union hereby gives a notice of 90 days to the responsible centres to honour what was negotiated and agreed on between government representatives and representatives of Public Service Unions or we go for industrial action effective May 20, 2019,” Mr Baguma wrote in the February 19 letter addressed to the Education minister and Ministry of Public Service.
Salaries
Primary. Once the agreement is signed, Mr Baguma said it will see Grade Three teachers (primary school teachers), who now earn Shs509,671 getting a monthly pay of Shs600,000. Deputy Head teachers in primary will have their salary increased from Shs671, 194 to Shs1.1million.
Secondary. Their counterparts in secondary schools with diploma academic documents in arts subjects will receive Shs1.1million from the current Shs534, 080 while teachers in the science discipline have been considered to get Shs1.2million from Shs951, 462.
Graduate teachers. These will earn Shs2.2 million from Shs1,413,226 million as the Arts teachers will see theirs raised from Shs701,341 million to Shs1.7 million. Tutors who are scientists will earn Shs2.3million, Shs2 million for arts while the salary for deputy head teachers (Science) in secondary schools and principal tutors has been maintained at Shs2, 469,931 million. For the arts deputy head teachers in secondary, they will take home Shs2.3 million from Shs1, 555, 256 million.
Head teachers. The Union expects that a head teacher in secondary school will earn Shs2.6 million from the current Shs2 million, principals in certificate awarding institutions such as Primary Teachers Colleges and technical schools are to be paid Shs2.6 milion from Shs2.2 million while diploma awarding institutions such as national teachers colleges, Uganda College of commerce and nursing schools will get Shs3.1 million from Shs2,794, 620m.
