President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni, Education Minister Janet Museveni and Unatu secretary general Filbert Baguma
Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni is expected to meet leaders of the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (Unatu) as well as over 200 arts teachers to discuss their demand for a salary enhancement to match their colleagues who teach science subjects.
It is not clear if the president, who is meeting Unatu leaders for a second time since the start of the industrial action on June 15 — a day after the reading of the FY2022-2023 national budget — will throw a carrot or stick at the striking secondary school arts and primary school teachers.
But Unatu leaders and members who are expected to meet Museveni today are hoping for a new deal that includes enhancement of their salaries, short of which they have insisted they will not return to class.
Ahead of the meeting with the head-of-state and government, Unatu district chairpersons met in Kampala for a meeting to discuss government’s latest response to their insistence on not calling off their industrial action until their demands have been met.
In two separate letters addressed to Filbert Bates Baguma, the Unatu secretary general, and the union’s chairperson Zadok Tumuhimbise on June 30, public service ministry officials told the striking teachers their salaries would only be enhanced alongside other government employees’ in the medium and long terms.
The letters from Public Service Minister Wilson Muruli Mukasa and Permanent Secretary Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire reiterated President Museveni’s earlier communication to Unatu that government was committed to increasing all public servants’ salaries, but priority had been given to scientists since they are, according to the head of state, more significant in enabling development.
After assessing contents in the letters from Bitarakwate and Muruli Mukasa on Sunday, July 03, Unatu leaders resolved to continue with their industrial action until salaries of secondary school arts and primary school teachers have been enhanced.
Those who will attend the meeting with Museveni took Covid19 tests on Sunday. They are hoping for a new deal. But will there be any new deal or new threats? Only time will tell.
Meanwhile, the last communication from Museveni’s wife Janet Kataaha Kainembabazi Museveni, the education minister, who is expected to be in meeting, was that there are are over 30,000 unemployed and desperate arts teachers who were ready to grab striking arts’ teachers’ jobs if government fired them. (Read Story Here).
Indeed, the Education Service Commission (ESC) has released the list of over 2,000 arts teachers — specifically teaching History, Geography, Economics and Entrepreneurship, Fine Art as well as CRE — who have passed their aptitude test and are set to sit their oral interviews before a number of them can be given government payroll jobs. (Read Story Here).
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In his budget speech read on June 14, Finance Minister Matia Kasaija announced that the salaries of science teachers, scientists and health workers will be increased in a ‘very big’ way starting July 2022. (Read Story Here).
Hours after Minister Kasaija read the budget for the 2022-23 Financial Year indicating a salary increment for teachers of science, arts teachers began their strike, making it clear that all teachers matter. (Read Story Here).
Government held talks with secondary school arts teachers and primary school teachers’ leaders under Unatu. After failing to convince the striking teachers to call off their industrial action, Museveni’s government through Public Service Ministry Permanent Secretary Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire, resorted to threatening teachers to either return to class or be fired.
But secondary school arts and primary level teachers under Unatu have fired back at President Museveni’s government, making it clear that threats of being fired will not force them to end their strike. (Read Story Here).
Relatedly, more government employees’ unions have threatened to lay down their tools in solidarity with striking teachers if government fires them, meaning that there could some sort of national shutdown. (Read Story Here).
The amount of money that President Museveni wants each arts teacher to be paid every month — as and when resources become available — has been revealed. (Read Story Here).
READ: VP Jessica Alupo Summons UNATU Leaders for Meeting to End Arts Teachers’ Strike
In order to improve service delivery and end the challenge of strikes over low pay, President Museveni’s government has proposed huge salary increments for teachers, doctors and other employees starting July 2022. (Read Story Here)
The proposed increments have left many people wondering if government will really fulfill this pledge and increase salaries by very high amounts.
For example, opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye has argued that the promise of salary increment is just ‘another lie.’ (Read Story Here).
Finance Minister Matia Kasaija recently said the money for increasing teachers’, doctors’ and other civil servants’ salaries was available. (Read Story Here).
In August 2021, cabinet approved salary increment for teachers, doctors and other health workers. (Read Story Here).
See the salary structure that had been proposed for the current financial year here.
Meanwhile, an NRM MP has angered teachers after telling them they are too poor to go on strike. (Read Story Here).
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